A man has been ordered to spend five months in prison for setting a dumpster ablaze.

Eric Richardson, 33, admitted damaging Island Cuisine’s dumpster and trespassing on the Warwick premises when he appeared in Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The court heard that security footage showed Richardson, from Warwick, throwing something into the bin that ignited the fire, which caused $3,165 in damages, in August.

Richardson, who has numerous previous convictions, told the court that the fire had been started by a cigarette that he threw into the bin.

Magistrate Maria Sofianos highlighted Richardson’s criminal record and “reckless” behaviour when disposing of the cigarette.

She sentenced him to a total of nine months behind bars – four for an unrelated trespassing offence, for which he was remanded in September, with a further five months for the damage and other trespassing charge.

Ms Sofianos ordered that time spent in custody be considered in Richardson’s four-month term, but that his five-month sentence commence yesterday.

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