A man who pleaded guilty to setting a police cruiser alight in downtown Toronto during last summer's G20 summit has been sentenced.

Nicodemo Catenacci, 41, was sentenced on Friday to 17 months in jail for arson.

Catenacci pleaded guilty to the arson and failing to comply with probation in December.

However, when he returned to court for sentencing in March, he professed his innocence and fired his lawyer, saying he was pressured to plead guilty.

When the Windsor resident returned to court on Friday, however, his new lawyer said the guilty plea was accurate.

Catenacci's defence lawyer Sean MacDonald added that his client's actions in March reflected anxiety and fear about the prospect of jail time.

"He has pled guilty, he has accepted responsibility for his action and he wants to move on with his life," MacDonald said outside court.

The police car was set ablaze near Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue.

Catenacci's August 2010 arrest marked the 18th suspect picked up by the G20 investigative team, which was specifically looking into crimes committed by vandals using so-called Black Bloc tactics.

During a peaceful anti-G20 protest organized by the labour movement on Saturday, June 26, a relatively small group of black-clad individuals emerged and went on a damage spree in the downtown core. Afterward, they took off their black clothing and blended back into the crowds.

Vandals shattered windows and attacked police cruisers, injuring one officer.

In total six cruisers were either burned or vandalized that day.

The four burned cruisers were all write-offs. One of the two vandalized vehicles was salvaged. A fully-equipped police cruiser costs between $65,000 and $70,000.

Police later cracked down in the summit, detaining more than 1,100 people during the largest mass arrest in Canadian history.

Catenacci's arrest came after the police launched a G20 investigative team and asked for photos and videos from the public. The images helped police identify and arrest suspects wanted in connection with crimes committed during the G20 weekend.

His 17-month sentence will be served concurrently with the 60-day sentence he was handed for failing to comply with his probation.

With files from CTV Toronto's Tamara Cherry