Not guilty of fire

A man who torched one of the Hunter’s historic churches because “he believed he was God” was yesterday found not guilty of causing malicious damage by fire – because of his mental illness. Newcastle District Court heard that Stephen Anthony Luke, 34, had suffered a range of mental and psychiatric disorders – coupled with excessive use of alcohol and cannabis. The 150-year-old, Georgian-style Anglican church at Camberwell suffered damage of $500,000 from the fire, which broke out on March 10 last year. The church’s original organ, transported by boat from England and carted to Camberwell by horse in the 1850s, had also been smashed – together with the altar and other historic artefacts. But Judge Ralph Coolahan yesterday ordered that Luke be supervised by probation and parole officers for two years – and that his continued medication be tightly controlled. The judge outlined how Luke had told police who stopped him after the fire: “I am God. ”Luke had pleaded not guilty to the charge because of mental illness. A report from a forensic psychiatrist said he suffered from hallucinations. “He ‘received word from God’ – at the time of the offence, he thought he was God,” the report said. Dressed in a dark suit and with a neatly cut beard, Luke sat quietly throughout the hearing. The court heard that his illness had included grandiose illusions, coupled with depression, compulsive behaviour and chronic desires. But alcohol and cannabis abuse had also impacted significantly on Luke’s mental state and his psychiatric disorder was drug-induced, one report said. Yet it appeared with ongoing psychiatric treatment at hospital, Luke’s disorder had responded to some extent. Reading from the report, the judge said that Luke “did not know what he was doing at the time of the offence – nor did he know that it was wrong. ”Another report said Luke had believed the order to torch the church had come from God – and that he, in fact, was God. Luke had thought he would be taking revenge on the enemies of God. He had been in a psychotic state at the time of the offence and “did not have the capacity to know the nature of his actions. ”Judge Coolahan said he could see no reason not to accept the doctors’ reports. It had not been suggested that Luke’s actions were brought on for reasons other than those of mental illness. “He has been assessed as suffering from a mental illness, but he is not a mentally ill person,” the judge said. “It is reasonable to assume that if he remains compliant with the program, the community will not be placed at undue risk. I would be satisfied there would be no danger to the public.”