ST. JOHN’S — A woman who set her friends’ apartment on fire with a family of four living upstairs begged the judge for another chance today.

But provincial court Judge James Walsh said Breonnah Perchard had run out of chances and what she did was too serious not to warrant jail time.

On Nov. 16, 2019, Perchard walked into her friend’s empty Mount Pearl apartment, turned on a pot of fat on the stove and used it to set papers on fire. Within minutes, the apartment was ablaze.

She admitted she had done it for revenge because she was angry with her friends for taking her debit card earlier that day.

But what the judge couldn’t overlook was that the owners of the house, a family of four, lived upstairs. 

While there were no injuries, there was extensive damage to the house.

Perchard was charged with arson and released on bail. However, when she missed four consecutive court dates over an eight-month period, the judge issued a warrant for her arrest. She was taken into custody Sunday. She pleaded guilty to arson and failing to attend court.

When she testified at her sentencing hearing today, Perchard said she was dealing with personal issues, including the death of her grandfather, a prior abusive relationship and her deteriorating mental health. She said she plans to go to college in September. She apologized for skipping court dates and cried as she asked the judge for another chance to prove she could abide by court rules if given a conditional sentence.

However, Judge Walsh said there was no accounting for the fact that Perchard put the lives of a family, as well as firefighters, at risk without just cause. He said he wasn’t convinced she has insight into the seriousness of what she did. 

In the end, he sentenced Perchard to just under two years in jail, with two years’ probation. He suggested she participate in counselling and programming while serving her time at the Correctional Centre for Women in Clarenville.

“I hope you learned your lesson,” Judge Walsh said.

“I did,” Perchard replied.

“You could’ve killed someone,” Walsh said.

“I know,” she said.