A pizza shop owner has been accused of hiring a customer to set fire to his restaurant for an alleged insurance fraud attempt during which the alleged arsonist accidentally set himself alight and suffered major burns, a court has heard.
St Albans Pizza and Pasta in Melbourne’s north-west was ravaged by a fire, which started before 5am on Sunday 11 August, 2013.
The owner of the restaurant, Derek Mcpadden, 29, and one of his regular customers, Habil Biyak, 46, have been charged with arson and recklessly endangering the lives of three people who lived above the shop front.
Mr Mcpadden has previously indicated he intends to fight the charges against him, which also include attempting to obtain property by deception and knowingly signing an untrue declaration.
At a committal hearing before Melbourne magistrate Jan Maclean on Tuesday, an acquaintance of Mr Biyak said a man introduced to her as “Derek” had dropped off a near-naked and severely burnt Mr Biyak at her home on the morning of the fire.
This man handed Mr Biyak a large “wad” of $50 notes after helping him out of a blue car, the woman said in evidence.
