Bendigo arsonists front the County Court for plea hearing

The fires took place between early November 2019 and the end of March 2020. In total, the men lit 49 fires in the central Victorian region.

Scott Hagley, 37, Justin Hagley, 38 and Andrew Valli, 32 - all formally of Bendigo but now in custody - each pleaded guilty in the County Court on Tuesday to multiple charges of arson and attempted arson.

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The court was told the men lit the majority of the fires late on Friday nights when driving back to Bendigo from Shepparton along the Midland and Northern highways, and the Epsom-Barnadown Road.

The fires were lit, the court heard, using material available on the roadsides and started with a match or lighter.

In most cases the fires were quickly spotted by another passerby and extinguished after the Country Fire Authority was called.

One afternoon in December 2019 the men used sparklers to start a series of fires while driving toward Shepparton. One of those fires grew to 180 acres in size and caused $64,000 of damage.

The offending stopped between mid-December and mid-January, the prosecutor told the court, when the ten pin bowling competition paused for the Christmas and New Year period.

It was during this period police began what was described as a "high visibility" operation patrolling the area.

Police then issued a press release on January 25, 2020, to call for public information about 19 fires. Justin Hagley, the court was told, shared the alert with his brother Scott on social media but the offending resumed.

A fire on February 21, 2020, was lit at the site of a memorial to Matthew Hagley, who had died in a car crash ten years earlier.

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The following Friday the men set alight a haystack at Corop that burned for two days, causing $26,000 of damage.

The men lit two fires on March 6 in the Myola and Toolleen areas, before lighting a series of fires on March 10.

One of those fires was to a haystack in Rochester, which caused almost $22,000 in damage.

The court heard Scott Hagley viewed a Bendigo Advertiser news article about the fires on March 11.

Between March 13 and March 20, the men lit three fires alongside the Midland Highway on their way home from bowling in Shepparton.

The men also set fire to grass in Eaglehawk, about 50 metres away from a property.

The court heard in late March, Bendigo detectives began monitoring Justin Hagley's vehicle and set up a recording device on his car.

On March 27, the men were recorded driving to a Kangaroo Flat supermarket where Valli bought a packet of 16 sparklers.

They drove to Tullamarine where Valli told the brothers, "stop talking about ice cream, we're here to light fires".

Over the next several hours, the men drove through the northern suburbs of Melbourne and the Kilmore area and tried to light several fires, but were unsuccessful.

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About 10pm, they reached the Heathcote area where they drove past two detectives in an unmarked police car.

Between 10.20pm and 10.39pm, the men tried to light more fires along the Lancefield-Tooborac Road before Heathcote police officers tried to intercept them.

The court heard Justin Hagley accelerated away and turned off his headlights in an attempt to avoid police, but Bendigo detectives were able to intercept and arrest the group.

They were brought to the Bendigo Police Station where they were searched and their phones were seized.

The detectives found four of the 16 sparklers left in their possession.

The court heard the men made partial admissions during their records of interview.

Justin Hagley's defence counsel told the court while it was clear the offending had endangered the lives of people and animals, no one was injured from the fires.

The plea hearing was adjourned on Tuesday evening and the three men were remanded in custody.

They are due to return to the County Court on Wednesday where the defence counsels will complete their submissions.

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