Burning a house down to rid of fingerprints in $100 burglary

A TEENAGE criminal with a staggering 69 offences against his name has been ordered to pay $152,000 compensation for a house he burned down to cover his fingerprints.

Judge John Nixon said David Paul Rowntree, 19, was a devious and out-of-control serial offender, the Geelong Advertiser reports.

"You have 50 priors, 29 with conviction and 21 where the charges against you were found proved but dealt with without conviction," he said. "Forty-nine of the 50 were for matters of dishonesty.

"You are a troubled and somewhat devious young man."

Rowntree, of Colac, appeared in Geelong County Court yesterday for sentencing after being convicted on 19 new charges stemming from a crime spree in March.

Judge Nixon said Rowntree and a co-offender on March 5 drove a stolen car to Berrybank where they burgled a house on the Hamilton Highway.

"You used an angle-grinder to cut open a safe in the house and stole $100 cash and a coin collection," he said. "While removing the items from the safe, your finger went through the end of rubber gloves you were wearing.

"Fearing your fingerprint would be found on the safe, you took the lawnmower and chainsaw inside the house, emptied fuel from both onto the floor and set fire to the house."

Judge Nixon said Rowntree then sat outside for a time and watched the house and its contents burn to the ground.

"You later burned the clothes you had been wearing," he said.

"You engaged in a series of serious criminal acts, you were out of control and had little or no regard for anyone."

The court heard Rowntree's rap sheet included arson, criminal damage, handling stolen goods and multiple counts of car theft, burglary and theft.

Rowntree was sentenced to three years in a Youth Justice Centre and ordered to pay $152,330 compensation.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years.