Francesco Silveri was sentenced Wednesday to 10 and a half years in prison.
Silveri had pleaded guilty to attempted murder and arson in connection with a fire set in January 2015 at a townhouse on Greengate Road in Guelph’s north end.
According to court documents, he was angry about his bike being stolen, and took out this anger by pouring gasoline on the front door of the townhouse, then sparking the fire.
Paula McGladrey and her son – who Silveri belived had stolen his bike – were at home at the time of the fire, asleep.
McGladrey suffered severe burns, and remained in hospital for months.
The townhouse was destroyed by the fire. It has since been rebuilt.
In court Wednesday, McGladrey recalled her memories of the night of the fire, including her skin melting away as she was pulled out of the house by her son.
Through tears, she told the court that her family was told that she would never be able to walk again – something she would later prove wrong.
She said that she has since returned to living on her own, but is now “terrified of fire” and scared whenever she hears a knock at the door.
In addition to his sentence, Silveri was ordered to be placed on the DNA registry, to not contact McGladrey for the length of his prison term, and to never possess any firearms.
