James Francis Shenfield: Three years imprisonment for Little Bit of Barker arson, pointing blow torch at cops

A Mt Barker man who pointed a blow torch at police officers after breaking into a restaurant and setting fire to it in a “drug-induced psychosis” has been sentenced to three years imprisonment. James Francis Shenfield, 38, appeared in Albany District Court on February 22 on three charges including stealing, burglary and arson. On February 4, Shenfield broke into Mt Barker restaurant Little Bit of Barker, causing $3500 damage with a blowtorch and spoiling $1000 worth of food. CCTV footage from inside the restaurant shows Shenfield rummaging through fridges and freezers, leaving the doors open, before cooking himself burgers on the kitchen grill and eating ice-cream from the self-serve ice-cream machine, which he left running, pouring ice-cream all over the floor. Shenfield then destroyed an iPad and a small electric fan before combining it with an aerosol can to set a noticeboard on fire, which he left burning while he returned to cooking burgers. When police arrived at the scene at 9.30pm and told Shenfield to put the blowtorch down, Shenfield leaned through an open window and pointed the ignited blowtorch at a police officer. An agitated Shenfield refused to put it down and retreated to the back of the restaurant where police found him sitting on a toilet holding the blowtorch. Police put out the fires and arrested Shenfield who was then taken to hospital for a cut to his foot. At the time of the break in, Shenfield was struggling with his mental health, was a regular user of cannabis, had “smoked a considerable amount of MDMA” and was likely experiencing a “drug-induced psychosis”, according to District Court Judge Mark Herron. Homeless and broke, Shenfield said he broke into the restaurant to find food for himself and his dog. Judge Herron said he had reservations about whether Shenfield was “genuinely remorseful” and concerns that he lacked “proper insight” into his offending, noting he tended to “act impulsively and easily lose your temper, which is exacerbated by drug use”. Judge Herron noted that Shenfield was convicted for civil disobedience in Bunbury Magistrate’s Court while on bail for the Mt Barker charges. Shenfield was sentenced to three years imprisonment backdated to July 22, 2023. He will be eligible for parole after serving 18 months.