Woman who burned down Surrey church to serve 4 years in prison

A woman who set fire to a church in Surrey’s Whalley neighbourhood last summer has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Kathleen Panek, 35, pleaded guilty in October to igniting the fire that destroyed St. George Coptic Orthodox Church on July 19. Panek was also accused of setting fire to cardboard boxes inside Whalley’s Sunshine Housing Co-op on March 15, 2021.

Panek was caught on security video lighting the church’s front door decorations on fire four days before the structure was engulfed in flames.

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She has been in custody since her arrest last year which means she will likely only serve three years due to time already behind bars. The Crown says she will receive credit for 339 days spent in-custody pre-sentence.

The church fire left more than 400 families without a space to worship or gather.