KITCHENER — In a "cry for help," a depressed and guilt-ridden Mennonite farmer set three fires on his property — including one that burned his barn to the ground — and later shot at his house while his wife and young children were inside, a court in Kitchener was told.

"It would appear that much of his angst arose from guilt that he felt over pursuing some secular interests that may have been contrary to his religious teachings," Justice Michael Epstein said in sentencing Manassa Martin to 22 months in jail.

His lawyer, Brennan Smart, was asked outside court about Martin's "secular interests."

"He got a phone as necessary for the operation of his cattle farm," Smart said. "The cellphone was a smartphone with access to the internet, and he started to retreat to the barn to watch Hollywood movies.

"So he was watching movies like "Superman" or something. Nothing more. It wasn't pornography or anything."

Martin, now 27, lit three fires over several months at his 40-hectare farm on Hessen Strasse in Wellesley Township, about 20 minutes northwest of Waterloo.

A first-time offender, Martin pleaded guilty on Thursday to two counts of arson and one count each of pointing a firearm and reckless handling of a firearm.

The biggest blaze, on Aug. 9, 2016, started when he set fire to straw in the barn, destroying the building and killing seven cattle and a horse. Damage was estimated at $400,000.

Not knowing that Martin had lit the fire, his Mennonite brethren rallied to his side right away, working every day but Sunday to clear away the ruins, pour a new foundation and build a new barn.

All three fires had been ruled accidental until Martin confessed after he was arrested for shooting at his house earlier this year with a .22-calibre rifle.

On Jan. 11, Martin's wife, 22, and their two children, a two-year-old and a four-month old, were inside the house when Martin opened fire.

"(His wife) entered into the kitchen of the residence and through a window she observed Manassa Martin with a long black rifle firing at the house from the window of a shed located on the property adjacent to the home," Crown prosecutor Armin Sethi said.

Martin fired five or six shots. He aimed below the window of the house. No one was hit. His wife took the children to a safe area of the house and called police.

"Multiple officers along with members of the special response unit of the Waterloo Regional Police Service attended the rural property and after a brief containment arrested Mr. Martin," Sethi said.

Questioned by police, Martin admitted he had set the fires and said he wanted to get caught. When he shot at the house, "that certainly got his wife's attention," Sethi said.

The judge said: "It appears that that conduct, together with the fire-setting conduct, was a cry for help because he was spiralling downwards in terms of his mental health due to his guilt, depression and anxiety."

It was likely more than guilt over watching movies that drove him to the crimes, his lawyer said.

"Clearly something was troubling Mr. Martin and he hasn't really identified all of that yet," Smart said.

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An assessment found he was fit to stand trial.

Martin hung his head while handcuffed in the prisoner's box.

"Your Honour, I just want to say I'm sorry," the soft-spoken man said. "I know what I did was wrong. I just wish to go back to my family, build a new life."

The Crown said his wife does not fear for her safety.

"She wants Mr. Martin to be able to come back home and to be able to have contact with her," Sethi said." She states that she wants to forgive and forget what her husband did."

Martin spent 10 months in custody before pleading guilty on Thursday.

"As you can imagine, Your Honour, custody has been a bit of an adjustment for Mr. Martin in terms of who he is associating with, who he roomed with," Smart said.

The 22-month sentence was a joint recommendation from Sethi and Smart. Martin received the standard credit for pretrial custody, leaving another seven months and 15 days to serve.

He agreed to consent to an order to take medication to treat his mental health issues. He will be on probation for three years and must undergo any recommended counselling, not possess weapons or incendiary devices, have no contact with his wife without her written consent and provide a DNA sample.

gpaul@therecord.com

Twitter: @GPaulRecord