Lloyd Riley refused bail for South Tamworth house fire case

Lloyd Riley appeared via video link from custody in Tamworth Local Court when he was ordered to remain behind bars while he faces "serious" charges.

The 21-year-old is accused of intentionally or recklessly destroying a house on Robert Street by fire; and entering the home with intent to destroy the property.

It's alleged the offences occurred between 2:30am and 4am on July 18, 2023.

Riley has remained behind bars since he was arrested and charged with the alleged offences on July 21 following a police investigation.

In court, the 21-year-old's Legal Aid defence solicitor Wendy McAuliffe said she had been instructed to make a second application for bail.

She told the court a relative of Riley was experiencing ill health, and the 21-year-old needed to be released from custody to assist the family member.

"They have a very close relationship," Ms McAuliffe said.

She said she also hadn't been able to view CCTV footage due to technical issues, and that material was integral to the strength of the prosecution's case.

The court heard there was an allegation Riley had filmed himself at the scene of the alleged offending but due to the way the social media app Snapchat deletes videos, the video was not part of the brief of evidence compiled by the police.

Ms McAuliffe said the 21-year-old was "extremely motivated" to care for his sick relative, and understood what would happen if he breached any bail conditions.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Rob Baillie said despite the circumstances, the prosecution would be opposing bail.

He said police had finished compiling evidence, and the case was running its "natural course".

"We're talking about a matter that's a 10 year offence [if convicted]," Sergeant Baillie said.

"We say there's an unacceptable risk."

He said the bail concerns included protection of the community and the complainant, and the risk of committing further offences.

The court heard Riley was serving a community-based prison sentence, or ICO, at the time of the alleged offending in July.

Magistrate Julie Soars said she couldn't find the bail conditions met the risk of the concerns put forward by the prosecution.

"I have to refuse him bail today," she said.

Riley will remain behind bars until the matter returns to court in December.

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