Man who set fire at Vancouver grocery store gets conditional sentence

Victor Atkinson has received a two-year conditional sentence followed by two years of probation for setting a fire inside Nesters Market in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

The 50-year-old pleaded guilty in June to arson to property after initially being charged with arson to an inhabited property and theft in connection with the March 30 fire. Court heard he told police he lit the fire near toilet paper in the Woodward’s building store to distract people while he continued shoplifting to support his drug use.

Prosecutor Tyler Maclean sought a two-year jail term, arguing the crowded store and apartments above it made the danger extreme. Pattison Food Group said the fire caused more than $500,000 in damage and closed the store for two weeks. No one was injured.

Defence lawyer Jordan Allingham said the act was spontaneous and not intended to cause serious harm. Atkinson, who has been in custody since the incident and is on methadone, apologized to those affected and said he wants to continue his recovery.

Judge David St. Pierre granted the conditional sentence. Atkinson must serve the first six months under house arrest, followed by a curfew, abstain from drugs and alcohol, and stay away from Nesters stores in B.C. Resident Brian Davie criticized the sentence, saying the fire had the potential to spread through the building.