Homeless man gets 2½ years for arson
Joshua Daniel Grant Burden, 50, admits he set fire at MacTavish’s Source of Sports on Queen St. on Oct. 29 but claims he wasn’t responsible for charred damage inside business
Though he admitted Friday to setting a fire that decimated an iconic business in downtown Fredericton a year ago, an unhoused man disputed that his actions caused the extensive interior damage.
Joshua Daniel Grant Burden, 50, of no fixed address, was scheduled to stand trial in Fredericton provincial court Friday on counts of arson and breach of probation.
The charges stemmed from a fire at MacTavish’s Source of Sports on Queen Street the night of Oct. 29 that ultimately led to the building being demolished. The business has since relocated to Brookside Drive on the city’s north side after decades of being a mainstay of the downtown core.
Burden, appearing in person and in custody Friday, represented himself.
Court heard, though, that the trial wasn’t proceeding, and that the defendant wanted to change his pleas to guilty.