Man is sentenced for setting fire to home in Clonattin

A GOREY man who set fire to a property where he was resident, causing damage to the amount of €110,000, has been given a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Niall McGrath of 1 Railway View, Gorey, pleaded guilty to damaging 50 Clonattin by fire, belonging to Cathy Byrne, on March 25, 2017.

Garda Jacinta Gordon told prosecuting counsel Sinéad Gleeson at Wexford Circuit Criminal Court that the defendant had entered a guilty plea at the April/May session of the county, when a probation and welfare report was ordered.

Garda Gordon said that at the time, the defendant was a resident in 50 Clonattin. Gardaí, she said, responded to a call on March 25, 2017, and on arrival saw smoke.

She said that the defendant had rang his father at 7.16 p.m. and stated that he had wrecked the room, poured petrol on himself, said ‘I love you, goodbye’, and then hung up. When the defendant’s father arrived at the house he told of seeing smoke and then he saw McGrath leave the house.

The smoke, said Garda Gordon, was coming from an upstairs bedroom, adding that a second person, Michael Baldwin, who was also living in the property, managed to get out unharmed after Mark McGrath had banged on the window.

Garda Gordon also told the court that the fire had been started in the back bedroom with petrol. The fire was extinguished but damage to the amount of €110,000 was caused.

Some other residents had to be moved out during the fire, she added.

Following an investigation, Garda Gordon said that the defendant was later arrested and taken to Gorey Garda Station for interview. He made a full admission. The defendant, she said, had ongoing difficulties with drug addiction while his family had tried to be supportive of him.

Garda Gordon said the defendant had 11 previous convictions and had come to the attention of gardaí once since this incident.

Defence counsel Dylan Redmond told the court that the defendant had taken sleeping pills and vodka, which led to this incident.

Mr Redmond asked the court if it benefited society or the victim to put him into custody and take him out of the support systems that he is now availing of, adding that he had been in custody for two and half months.

Judge Cormac Quinn said the defendant had caused €110,000 of damage to the house, while a second person escaped only on being alerted to the situation. He said he would also take into consideration the psychiatric background of the defendant. He would also take into account he had been of good behaviour since this incident, except for one incident, while the probation and welfare report he would also take into account.

Judge Quinn said he would impose a two-year prison sentence which he would suspend in its entirety to allow the defendant to continue the courses he is on at the moment.

He ordered the defendant to enter into a bond of €200 to keep the peace and be of good behaviour for two years from the day of sentencing, that he continue to attend the Cornmarket Projects, continue training courses as provided, while also provide a urine analysis by attending a medical appointment.