An Englishman living in Australia is due to be sentenced for the manslaughter of his Airbnb host after her home near Melbourne was destroyed by fire and her body burnt beyond recognition. Timothy Loosemore, 62, had been staying with Maree Vermont, 60, at her Goldie property, 70km north of Melbourne, and prosecutors said he "snapped" after she repeatedly rejected his wish to turn their casual relationship into something more serious. The case has drawn attention for the chilling detail that, after escaping the blaze, Loosemore's first concerns to police were for Ms Vermont's elderly dog and his own bicycle rather than for her welfare.

Forensic examiners found traces of Ms Vermont's blood on Loosemore's clothing, along with a soot-blackened kitchen knife and fuel canisters at the scene, which prosecutors say show he assaulted her before setting the fire to cover up the crime. Because the fire made it impossible to establish a cause of death, two Supreme Court of Victoria juries could not conclude she had been murdered, and Loosemore is instead being sentenced for manslaughter. At a pre-sentence hearing, Justice Andrew Tinney described Loosemore's apparent indifference to Ms Vermont's fate as "somewhat unnerving", noting he knew she was inside the burning house he had built with her ex-husband over three decades.