Brett Allan Dawson, 30, who appeared before Magistrate William Gibb yesterday, also pleaded guilty to setting fire to Maryborough’s historic Princes Park grandstand.

Dawson used the alter ego Thomas Lloyd (who was a cousin of Ned), to claim responsibility for the fires, which were lit in July last year.

In a series of notes (all left on the back of community firewood signs) and phone calls to police, Thomas Lloyd also said that he was responsible for three other incidents where tyres were laid across Maryborough roads and in two instances were set alight.

He also claimed responsibility for a blaze involving 400 used car tyres near the Carisbrook tip.

Dawson was implicated by his ex-wife, Melissa Dawson.

"He has a strong interest in Ned Kelly,” Ms Dawson told police last year.

“Thomas Lloyd is just a name he uses.”

Dawson was released on bail after appearing at Maryborough Magistrates Court last year.

He was re-arrested on May 8 this year, after he made a false report to police that a man had shot him.

Prosecutor Sergeant Brett Sheppard said that upon attending Dawson’s Dunach address to investigate the alleged shooting, police discovered guns, ammunition, swords, a dagger and body armour.

It was also established that Dawson had threatened to kill the son of Miss Clarence, the woman he lived with.

Dawson has since spent 116 days in custody.

He appeared in court yesterday dressed in black and sporting a bushranger-style beard.

He communicated from the dock with Miss Clarence, who was in court to support him, via sign language.

The court heard Dawson had paranoid tendencies.

Mr Gibb convicted Dawson on 17 of the 22 charges.

For setting fire to the Maryborough Angling Club on July 21 last year (causing more than $40,000 damage), Dawson was convicted and sentenced to 365 days’ prison.

Mr Gibb ordered he serve 116 of those days and that the remainder be suspended for 18 months.

“The days spent in custody be reckoned as served,” Mr Gibb said.

For setting the Princes Park grandstand alight on July 23, Dawson was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail, wholly suspended for 18 months.

He also received wholly suspended jail terms for threatening to kill Miss Clarence’s son, and possessing an unregistered long arm.

"He’s an angry man and he can’t control his anger,” Mr Gibb said.

“He seems to have an unhealthy attraction to weapons.”