Portland man who intentionally set fire to his best mate jailed for 10 years

Umit Gorgulu, 40, doused his good friend and housemate Kevin Taplin in petrol in April 2019 before using a cigarette lighter to set him alight.

He was found guilty in March by a jury of intentionally causing serious injury.

On Friday, he was jailed in the Supreme Court for 10 years.

Detective Sergeant Jason von Tunk told The Standard it was one of the worst acts of violence he'd seen in his three decades on the force.

"This type of crime, involving fire and the burning of someone, is just horrendous and it is certainly an investigation that will stay with me forever," he said.

"I have spoken with the victim today and no amount of sentence will relieve him from his suffering."

Gorgulu must serve a non-parole period of seven years.

He and Mr Taplin were driving in April 2019 from their home in Portland to pick up Mr Taplin's motorbike in Hamilton when a fight broke out and Gorgulu threw his phone out the window.

They were then separated for several hours and Gorgulu left Mr Taplin threatening voice messages from a stranger's phone.

Upon reuniting in Hamilton, Gorgulu punched Mr Taplin in the head several times.

When the victim tried to drive away, Gorgulu stopped him by hanging onto the car door.

Gorgulu grabbed a five-litre jerry can full of petrol and doused the car and Mr Taplin in fuel.

He then used a cigarette lighter to ignite it, setting his friend on fire.

Mr Taplin rolled on the ground in an attempt to extinguish the fire before screaming for help.

Nearby residents hosed him down, potentially saving his life.

In sentencing, Justice Amanda Fox said Mr Taplin's injuries were accurately described in the plea hearing as "horrific and life-threatening".

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She said he spent two to three weeks in an induced coma.

Mr Taplin experienced multiple burns to his head and neck region, chest, right upper limb and left hand.

He also suffered damage to his lungs and underwent numerous treatments, surgeries and rehabilitation.

Justice Fox said fortunately the man had made a good recovery and his long-term injuries were not as severe as they might have been.

"However his positive recovery doesn't detract from the seriousness of the injuries you caused," she told Gorgulu.

Justice Fox said Gorgulu's earlier acts of violence and threats to his friend were all relevant to the offending and aggravating "to some extent".

She said an aggravating feature was Gorgulu preventing Mr Taplin from leaving "in circumstances where he had not responded to your violence, was in his own vehicle and just wanted to get away".

Justice Fox said Gorgulu deliberately threw petrol on the victim, who "trusted you as a friend".

She said the offending was spontaneous and unplanned, but a serious example of the charge of intentionally causing serious injury.

Gorgulu has already served 1177 days in custody on remand.

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