Related: Three charged for Eaglehawk fires
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TWO men responsible for lighting 23 fires throughout Bendigo in January and February have pleaded guilty to all charges.
Ricky Mackay, 22, and Corey Deveraux, 23, will be sentenced in the Bendigo County Court later this year, in relation to 24 and 22 charges respectively.
Most of the fires were in Eaglehawk, targeting a school, book shop, sports club and portable buildings.
Police withdrew an arson charge for a fire which destroyed the Cooinda playground in Golden Square after not finding enough evidence.
The Bendigo Magistrates’ Court heard on Wednesday the two men made Deveraux’s younger brother look out for approaching cars at several fires.
Shannon Deveraux, 21, of Kennington, also pleaded guilty to five charges for his role in the fires.
Mackay and Corey Deveraux lived together in Eaglehawk when the pair started lighting fires on January 20.
Prosecutor Marwan El-Asmar said Shannon Deveraux recently moved in with them, to become closer with his older brother.
Shannon was invited to “go for a walk” with the two men on February 2 – when they set fire to the portable building of Future Employment Solutions.
Police spoke with the three men who had “concocted” a false story, the court heard. They were later charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The older pair asked Shannon to go with them on February 5 and 6, when Mackay set fire to bush land on Caldwells Road in Eaglehawk using a deodorant can. Shannon was unaware of their intentions, and told to keep watch for approaching cars.
The three men also went to Albert Roy Reserve, where Shannon was asked to look out for cars while Mackay dropped fire lighters into a shipping container, destroying baseball equipment.
On February 9, Mackay and Corey Deveraux lit fire to debris at St Liborius Primary School. Mackay also sprayed the phrases, “Islam rules” and “f*** Aussies” on the side of the school.
The pair were arrested on February 21, and Shannon the following day.
Defence counsel Peter Baker said Shannon had a mild intellectual disability and was a “secondary offender”, and he only wanted to “spend time with his brother”.
Magistrate John Murphy had Shannon assessed for a community corrections order. He will be sentenced on August 3.