(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

A convicted arsonist refused to comply with her house arrest conditions immediately after she was sentenced last fall.

Angela Elise Cornish, who was caught lighting fires in forests near Kamloops, was ordered to spend three months under house arrest in September, followed by another three with a curfew.

She returned to the courthouse to see her supervising officer the next day, where she said she would rather spend it in jail than see a court-ordered psychiatrist. She said she would "not now and not ever" see a therapist, claiming she didn't need the help, despite the court including the condition as part of her sentence.

She appeared in front of provincial court judge Roy Dickey for the breaches again Jan. 10. He was hesitant to accept the original conditional sentence in the fall.

READ MORE: 'Inhumane': Dangerous cold required before Interior emergency homeless shelters open

Dickey warned her at the time that if she fails to comply with the orders, she may spend her six-month sentence in custody. She promptly took an "anti-authoritative approach" to her sentence, Crown prosecutor Monica Fras told the court.

Defence lawyer Lana Walker said Cornish was "frustrated" with the long court process and the fact she was still wearing an ankle monitor, which she believed was causing her hair to fall out.

Both Fras and Walker said it was roughly a month after she was sentenced when Cornish then began to comply with her conditions, including a reluctant agreement to see a psychiatrist. Since she's now complying, Fras said it's in both the community's and Cornish's best interest to stay the course under her conditional sentence, rather than being held in custody.

When Cornish refused to "consent" to her conditions, she said she took on her own form of "self-talk therapy" so she didn't need professional help, Fras said.

READ MORE: Kamloops council pressed for stance on Middle East ceasefire

As he gave Cornish her new sentence, Dickey noted he was concerned about Cornish's willingness to comply and continue going to appointments when the fires she started were also part of her own therapy process.

She spent two days in custody after breaching her conditions, two charges which she pleaded guilty to. Afterward, she was technically back on bail conditions.

Lawyers agreed to delay her hearing until Jan. 10, which allowed her to start complying with court orders again.

READ MORE: 'We're not a priority': Province mum on promised Kamloops cancer centre

Dickey extended her six-month sentence by another month, allowing her to continue her conditional sentence largely as planned.

The criminal investigation began in April 2022. Police caught her travelling into forested areas with a truck loaded with fire-starting equipment.

Although the fires were doused quickly and didn't spread, BC Wildfire Service spent roughly $15,000 on the four fires she pleaded guilty to setting.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2024