More jail for Knox Mountain arsonist who had ‘little grasp on reality’

A 49-year-old Kelowna man who deliberately set fires on Knox Mountain in the city last fall had little grasp on reality at the time.

BC Provincial Court Judge Andrew Tam said that Robert Austin Teal had been to see police two weeks earlier seeking help for “bizarre and unfounded” paranoid fears.

Two months earlier he’d been found hanging off the Bennett Bridge in an apparent suicide attempt.

“Mr. Keel was clearly divorced from reality,” Judge Tam told the court.

There was no reason given in court as to why Teal decided to light fires on Knox Mountain in October 2025, but he was wearing full camouflage and carrying a slingshot at the time.

While it wasn’t at the height of wildfire season, it was very dry and windy on the day. The fires spread quickly and there were multiple people hiking and biking on the mountain.

“The potential for extreme damage and danger cannot be overstated,” the judge said, noting that the province is currently in a state of emergency because of wildfires.

The fires on Knox Mountain didn’t spread far before being put out, and Teal was arrested soon afterwards.

Given the extreme risk of wildfire, he was denied bail and has remained in custody since.

Crown prosecutor Jesse Young argued Teal should do two and a half years in jail for the arson and for pointing a slingshot at a bylaw officer.

Defence lawyer Nelson Selamaj argued Teal’s mental state meant he wasn’t aware the person was a bylaw officer and 20 months jail was appropriate.

The court heard the 49-year-old suffered from substance use issues which exacerbated into mental illness. When he was sober, he wasn’t delusional.

He’d had a rough childhood and had been physically abused by his mother.

“When he was six, he was locked in the basement for days without power, food, and heat,” the judge said. “When he was 12, his mother became intoxicated and placed a gun against his head.”

His mother committed suicide in 2000.

Teal has a lengthy criminal record, and spent two years in jail after he wielded a chainsaw in a Summerland gas station in 2022.

However, he had had large gaps in offending, but slipped back into homelessness and drug addiction.

“It is evident that Mr. Teal was struggling in this grasp of reality… leading up to these events, harbouring delusion of police in a paranoid way,” the judge said. “What is particularly unfortunate is that, after his release from his previous prison sentence, he had been doing well.”

Judge Tam said now sober, Teal had apologized to everyone involved during an earlier court appearance.

Citing Teal’s detachment from reality and mental health struggles, Judge Tam sentenced Teal to 18 months’ jail, followed by three years of probation.

With time already served in custody, Teal had about six months left to spend behind bars.