The Office of Public Prosecutions will appeal the leniency of a 10-year jail sentence handed down to a Portland man found guilty of pouring petrol on his best mate and setting him on fire.
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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.
On July 8 this year Gorgulu was jailed for 10 years and must serve a minimum of seven years before being eligible for parole.
He was found guilty by a Supreme Court jury in March of intentionally causing serious injury.
Detective Sergeant Jason von Tunk, of the Portland police crime investigation unit, told The Standard it was one of the worst acts of violence he'd seen in his 30 years 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," he said on the day of sentencing.
The OPP will appeal the sentence on the grounds it was manifestly inadequate.
The appeal is based around a comparable Queensland case during which an accused pleaded guilty to setting his wife on fire.
She survived, but was pregnant at the time and the unborn child died.
That defendant was jailed for 14 yearsm with 10 years to serve before being eligible for parole.
Courts have previously heard that in the April 2019 incident, Gorgulu and Mr Taplin drove from their home in Portland to pick up Mr Taplin's motorbike in Hamilton when a fight broke out and Gorgulu threw his own 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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