August 27, 2012
SYDNEY (AFP) - A French tourist was in an Australian hospital Monday with burns after a fellow traveller allegedly set fire to his fancy dress costume which was made of toilet paper.
New South Wales police said the incident occurred at a party at a backpacker hostel on Sydney's northern beaches on Saturday night in which the Frenchman had reportedly wrapped his body in the white paper to look like a mummy.
"It is alleged that another man at the party lit the paper which caused the 31-year-old's costume to fully catch on fire," they said in a statement.
Police said a 30-year-old Welshman presented himself to Manly police station on Sunday and was arrested and subsequently charged with recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm. He will face court on September 19.
Detective Inspector Graham Cope said it appeared that the act was not malicious.
"Setting fire was certainly a reckless act but probably... in this case could best be described as a prank," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The victim, who has been treated for burns to his arm and neck, was in a stable condition in hospital Monday and will undergo skin grafts.
