The tragic tale of a factory fire in Sunshine North took a grim turn as Phoenix Darren John Tims, who had been promised $6,000 to set the blaze, expressed a disturbing wish regarding the victims. In a chilling admission captured secretly, Tims hoped that the two men who perished in the fire were rapists, a sentiment he believed would help ease his conscience.
On Thursday, the Victorian County Court listened to these unsettling remarks as Tims faced the music, pleading guilty to two serious charges of arson resulting in death. The 20-year-old, alongside his accomplice Atem Akoi Thon, also 20, confessed to their roles in the tragic incident that unfolded in the early morning hours of February 23, 2024.
The reckless duo drove to the factory in a stolen ute, where Tims took the lead by dousing the entrance with petrol before igniting the flames. Their actions set off a chain reaction, leading to the loss of two innocent lives.
Victims Hai Minh Nguyen, 41, and Phuc Tran, 48, were tragically caught in the inferno. They were asleep in a nearby property when the fire spread beyond control, claiming their lives.
Hai Minh Nguyen, 41, and Phuc Tran, 48, were both sleeping in a neighbouring property when the blaze spread and killed them.
The partners of the two men provided statements to the court on Thursday, describing their grief and hardship in the years that have followed.
“There are no words that can truly capture the devastation, the emptiness and sheer agony I have endured,” Nguyen’s partner Thanh said.
“The image of him being trapped in that blaze is a nightmare.”
Tims and Thon did not intend to set fire to the other property and they did not know there were people inside, prosecutor Jordan Johnston accepted.
The two men had been promised $6000 by an unknown person if they firebombed the factory but they never received the money, the court was told.
The day after the blaze, Tims, Thon and co-offender Semaj Cigobia, 20, set the stolen ute on fire about 50 kilometres away in Coimadai, near Bacchus Marsh.
Police began covertly monitoring the offenders in July 2024 and recorded Tims saying he “burned the place down” and discussing the fact two men had died.
“Hopefully they raped kids or some shit like that so I can feel better about myself,” he said in the recordings detailed in court.
Tims’ barrister Sam Norton told the court his client had been using cocaine at the time of the offending but he had since developed an understanding of his actions.
The 20-year-old was truly remorseful and had taken steps to better himself, including gaining meaningful employment and spending time with his son, Norton said.
Thon also pleaded guilty to two counts of arson causing death, with his barrister Gordon Chisholm emphasising his client never intended for the two men to die.
Both Thon and Tims accepted they would be jailed, while Cigobia’s barrister Jennifer Clark submitted a community corrections order would be appropriate for her client.
She told the court Cigobia, who pleaded guilty to assisting an offender, became involved because of loyalty to his friends.
All three will be sentenced on May 18, with their bail extended to their next court date.
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