Adam Cooper, The Age
Getting the jump on rival party hire businesses requires some lateral thinking.
In the case of Awesome Party hire, police allege owner James Balcombe’s burning ambition to be No.1 led him to pay an employee to go on a two-month spree torching rival party businesses.
Between December 19 last year and February 17 – five rivals were hit by a combined 10 fires, most started by Molotov cocktails.
The alleged spree peaked with one blaze causing $1-million-worth of damage, destroying dozens of jumping castles, a stretch limo and a mechanical bull, amongst other equipment.
Faced with competition across Melbourne, police allege Mr Balcombe had offered to pay one of his drivers, Peter Smith, 36, to target rivals.
Police allege Mr Balcombe offered $2000 for each target.
Smith recruited a friend, 30-year-old Craig Anderson, who in turn sought help from Travis Ransom, 33.
The fires hit at factories and outlets in Hallam, Tullamarine, Keysborough, Werribee, and Warragul – but a blaze at A&A Jumping Castles destroyed the most jumping castles.
After the fire at A&A, Anderson told police that Mr Balcombe was smiling when he said to him: “That’s the best job you have done so far.”
“James said he wasn’t happy with cars being damaged. He needed jumping castles to get destroyed,” Anderson said in a statement.
As the fires continued, party hire business owners began to fear they would be next.
The owner of Melbourne Sumo Party Hire was inside his factory on February 17 when it was hit, but was unharmed.
In the following days another owner, who heard of the attacks through her policeman husband, alerted Mr Balcombe, who ran his business from a Kangaroo Ground property with a large shed.
Police allege Mr Balcombe ordered his own business be torched in a bid to divert suspicion.
He showed Anderson around his property, where his party hire equipment was stored, and left out petrol containers, police allege.
On March 3, Mr Balcombe’s shed was set alight as he, his wife and adult stepson slept.
A neighbour told police he heard “massive explosions” and saw the shed engulfed in flames.
The stepson later told police it was a “pretty shit feeling” seeing the shed go up in flames, and that Mr Balcombe had to be restrained by firefighters.
The stress of the blaze had almost caused Balcombe to collapse, according to the stepson.
Mr Balcombe later told police his business was worth $1.2 million and insured for $800,000.
Police estimate the total damage bill from the alleged arson spree was more than $2 million.
Within a fortnight of the fire at Mr Balcombe’s property, he and the three other men were arrested.
Anderson,of Kurunjang, and Smith, of Kalorama, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court this week to plead guilty to 10 and two charges of arson respectively.
Both were bailed to appear in the County Court in November.
Mr Balcombe, 52, and Mr Ransom, of Greensborough will face 10 and four charges of arson respectively.
Both are yet to enter a plea and are due to appear in court in February, when a magistrate will determine whether they stand trial. They are also on bail.
