Mohammed Jawad, 41, has also been sentenced to a community order that includes 100 hours of community work.
Jawad pleaded guilty to two counts of arson, two counts of possessing cannabis, using cannabis and two counts of committing an indictable offence while on bail.
The court was told Jawad used a cigarette lighter to set a bundle of clothes on fire out the front of the Salvation Army Shepparton store in Rowe St on September 12 about 9.30am, before walking away.
A nearby store assistant put the fire out with the help of police.
Later that day Jawad started a fire with paper and a carpet against the rear door of Shepparton’s Nabi Akram mosque in Enterprise Dve, where he had been squatting.
No structural damage was found, although the court heard it was not known what damage the smoke had caused to the mosque.
The court heard Jawad had previously been charged with two counts of possessing cannabis from incidents earlier this year.
Jawad’s solicitor Shana McDonald said Jawad was homeless and was lacking his usual community support due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She presented the court with material regarding his mental impairment and suggested he needed support and supervision in the community rather that a custodial sentence.
Magistrate Peter Mithen sentenced Jawad to 50 days in prison — with the time already served waiting for his matter to be heard in court.
He also placed him on a 12-month community corrections order, which will include 100 hours of community work.
The order would include programs to help with Jawad’s mental health in an effort to prevent this sort of offending from happening in the future, Mr Mithen said.
