Travis John Kinseley, 24, of Bailey St, Belmont, was convicted and sentenced to five years jail, with a non-parole period of two and a half years, after pleading guilty at the County Court in Ballarat to one count each of arson

and theft.

The bakery in Vincent St was destroyed by fire shortly after 2am on July 7, 2004.

A Ford van, parked outside a nearby business was also destroyed, and there was damage to the Modern Day Bakery and optometrist Eyes on Vincent.

In sentencing, Judge Tony Duckett said the former concrete contractor gave no thought to the consequences of his actions on the Daylesford community.

He added that while imprisonment would cause hardship for the mother of Kinseley's unborn child, the circumstances were not exceptional enough for him to avoid jail.

The court heard that Kinseley went to the bakery equipped with petrol, a cigarette lighter and backpack in the hope of stealing between $5000 and $7000.

The judge said that one of the Kinseley's friends worked at the bakery and gave him a key after suggesting "the bakery could be trashed so he could avoid work for a few days".

The court heard that the defendant found $400 in coins at the site and sat in a church for 45 minutes after lighting the fire.

The court was told that Kinseley returned to a house where he showered and was seen burning the small plastic bags which held the money.

The judge said that Kinseley spent the cash on drugs and other items, told police he did not intend to damage the bakery so severely, and blamed friends for pressuring him into it.

The court heard the bakery proprietor suffered a $180,000 loss because of the fire.

Yesterday's sentencing came almost three weeks after Kinseley's plea hearing in Ballarat.