Northwood mansion fire: Property tycoon Steve Nassif admits to role in blaze ... trends now
A property mogul faces up to 10 years behind bars after he admitted his role in a deliberately lit blaze that destroyed a waterfront heritage mansion which sold for $24million 10 months earlier.
Steve Nassif, 70, pleaded guilty to damaging a property by fire when he appeared in Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday over the inferno that gutted a historic mansion in Northwood on Sydney's lower north shore in September 2022.
He and his co-accused Adams Kipkosgei Bett, 21, were arrested three months later after NSW Police released footage of the blaze and a silver Toyota Hiace van captured on CCTV in the street as part of a public appeal.
Nassif's case has previously been delayed for negotiations over the agreed facts before he entered a guilty plea on Thursday.
The crown prosecutor has since applied to have Nassif detained in custody later on Thursday ahead of sentencing, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Property tycoon Steve Nassif has admitted his involvement in the mansion blaze
Dozens of firefighters were unable to save the Northwood mansion which was gutted by fire in September 2022
The mansion burned down 10 months after it was bought for $24.1m by Sandy Chen Yi Fei, the sister of next-door neighbour and fund manager 'Owen' Ouyang Chen. The pair are not accused of any wrongdoing and no charges have ever been laid against the Chens.
Nassif's plea comes after Lane Cove Council previously knocked back an application by the Chens to demolish the gutted remains of the historic mansion.
'Demolition of a heritage item, even a burnt-out item, should always be the last and final option,' a
