Amanda Jane Basso: Accused arsonist and insurance scammer denies burning down Spencer Park Doralane Pastries

An Albany woman accused of setting fire to a popular Spencer Park bakery and trying to claim $2.7 million in insurance money has denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to the charges laid against her. In a brief appearance in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday, Amanda Jane Basso spoke only to enter pleas of not guilty to criminal damage by fire and attempting to gain a benefit by fraud with the 51-year-old now to stand trial in Albany District Court on June 25. At her last court appearance on December 12 last year, the bakery owner was accused of setting fire to her business Doralane Pastries, which went up in flames on October 12. Three days after the blaze on October 15, she 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 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 and causing an estimated $955,000 in damage. A staff member was taken to Albany Health Campus where she was treated for smoke inhalation. Three weeks later, on December 4, police charged Ms Basso with attempted fraud and criminal damage by fire, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.