Former West Coast Eagles star Daniel Kerr has been jailed for setting fire to a house owned by his parents, with a Perth court hearing he has now been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, which could be related to head knocks he received during his playing years.
While Kerr was sentenced to two years in jail, he has already served the entire sentence and could apply for immediate release, although he is facing other charges.
The arson offence dated back to February 2021 when Kerr, who is now 40, was living at the Kardinya house, in Perth's southern suburbs, while it was being prepared for sale.
He was seen driving away from the property yelling and waving his arms, before neighbours saw smoke coming from the house and rang emergency services.
Multiple points of ignition were found on the ground floor and Kerr was arrested at the car wash business he owned in Cottesloe.
The District Court was told the fire left a damage bill of more than $261,000, but the insurance payout Kerr's parents received did not meet the full cost of rebuilding the house.
Kerr, who is the brother of Australian soccer star Samantha Kerr and retired from the AFL in 2013 after playing 220 games for the Eagles, has been in custody ever since.
Head injuries not reported
State prosecutor Fiona Clare described the offence as "nonsensical and chaotic", saying there was no reason or purpose for Kerr to have done what he did.
The court was told that at the time, Kerr was suffering from undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia, which he was now being treated for in prison.
His lawyer, Kate Turtley-Chappel, highlighted that Kerr had been exposed to many injuries during his AFL career, including head knocks that the court heard he did not report because he wanted to keep playing.
Ms Turtley-Chappel said the head injuries could be "relevant to the development of schizophrenia", although she maintained it was difficult to put it any higher than that.
Kerr has a long history of substance use, and the court heard that also could have contributed to his mental illness.
He denied taking drugs on the day but admitted he had been using substances in the lead-up to the fire.
Ms Turtley-Chappel highlighted that Kerr's time in custody had been difficult because of his high profile, with the court hearing that other prisoners would seek him out and "bother" him.
No special treatment: judge
Judge Gary Massey accepted Kerr's untreated mental illness had played a significant role in his offending.
He said while Kerr's drug use and his mental illness could not be "disentangled", it remained unclear if the head knocks he received as an AFL player had any impact on his diagnosis.
Judge Massey said Kerr, who had the support of his family, had a reasonable prospect for rehabilitation as long as he continued to receive treatment.
"If you don't do it, there is a real risk you will go back to the mental health issues you were suffering at the time," he told the former Eagle.
As a result of Kerr's mental health issues, Judge Massey said he had imposed a reduced sentence, and stressed that Kerr had not received any special treatment because of his high-profile status.
Kerr's parents were in court for the sentencing and made no comment as they left.
