A Nanaimo man has been sentenced following a near-fatal arson incident that left a Ukrainian family’s home uninhabitable.
On Wednesday, June 11th, Walter “Theo” Machinski was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of arson with disregard for human life.
The sentencing follows Machinski’s decision to deliberately set fire to the family home of the pastor attached to the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Church in the 1100-block of Caledonia Avenue.
This incident occurred in the early morning of April 20th, 2022, when the family was reportedly awoken to someone pouring gasoline through their front door’s mail slot.
The fuel was set on fire and the front door and upper level quickly went up in flames. All five family members narrowly escaped the blaze, and some were forced to jump from second-story windows while others were rescued by firefighters.
One of the family members, a child, suffered potentially life-threatening injuries and had to be transported to the hospital.
Related:
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- Victoria fire crews battle blaze at heritage home early Wednesday morning
The house is well over a century old and was a piece of Victoria’s history designed by former Victoria mayor John Teague. It sustained major damage and is still uninhabitable.
According to police, the investigation to identify Machinski involved extensive CCTV searches between Victoria, Nanaimo and the Malahat, as well as interviews, forensic analysis and examination of evidence.
On April 5th, 2023, police arrested Machinski, and determined that this was a targeted attack. Police say it was not motivated by hatred towards Ukrainians, but the accused was known to the family.
“We are incredibly fortunate that this dangerous act did not result in more serious injuries or loss of life,” said Acting Deputy Chief Michael Brown.
“The bravery of the family and the swift response of our officers and Victoria firefighters prevented a tragedy…We are also grateful to the community for providing valuable information and support to the family.”
— with files from Curtis Blandy
