KEY POINTS:
A young woman who did not like her job and had a bad day set fire to a bin in a hotel's staff locker room causing $11,000 damage, Christchurch District Court heard today.
Sarah Emily Ryder, 19, had worked for a month for an inner-city Christchurch hotel when she lit the fire on February 21.
She pleaded guilty to a charge of intentionally damaging a toilet block in the staff locker room knowing that danger to life was likely to ensue.
Police prosecutor Stewart Sluis told the court Ryder had set fire to a toilet roll and placed it in a bin of used toilet rolls and rubbish. She watched until it caught light and then reported to her supervisor that she had found a fire.
The fire was put out by the hotel's sprinkler system but had caused extensive damage totalling $11,029.
Defence counsel Serina Bailey said Ryder committed the offence because she did not like her job, had had a bad day, and did not want to go back to work.
She said Ryder had no previous convictions. She had made no attempt to be evasive or difficult.
Judge Graeme Noble remanded her on bail for sentence on June 10 and ordered a pre-sentence report, reparation report, and a report on her suitability for home detention and community detention.
- NZPA
