Amanda Jane Basso: Alleged bakery arsonist and insurance scammer appears in court for the first time

An Albany woman accused of setting fire to a Spencer Park bakery and trying to claim half a million dollars in insurance money has appeared in court for the first time. Amanda Jane Basso appeared in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with arson and attempted fraud. The crying 50-year-old was represented by defence lawyer Bruno Illari who asked for the court to progress the charges to a committal mention date. Magistrate Erin O’Donnell read the charges to Ms Basso twice after she struggled to hear her. No pleas were entered during the appearance. Both charges are indictable and will be heard in the District Court with the maximum sentence for arson life imprisonment. The 50-year-old is accused of setting fire to the Doralane Pastries shop in Spencer Park on October 12, causing $955,000 in damage and threatening lives. A female staff member was taken to Albany Health Campus to be treated for smoke inhalation. Three days after the blaze on October 15, Ms Basso allegedly filed a fraudulent insurance claim for a policy that stated she was entitled to $500,000 for contents and $2.2 million for business interruption compensation. The 50-year-old was charged by police on December 4. The fire shattered the front windows of the building on Angove Road before engulfing the interior with flames, taking firefighters nearly half an hour to bring it under control. Ms Basso will next appear in Albany Magistrates Court on March 6, 2025, for a committal mention.