A youngster was sentenced to five years in prison for throwing petrol bombs into a facility designated for asylum seekers, inflicting damage worth €28,000, reports Breaking News.
On Tuesday, Andy Donohue’s defence attorney told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that the 19-yr-old “came under the influence of some extremely racist people.”
Donohue, then eighteen, was seen approaching the building at around eleven p.m. in May of last year with a burning object in his hand, according to CCTV footage shown in court. He then repeatedly smashed the glass door with a hammer, pushed the lit object and several other firebombs through the broken glass and added accelerant to fan the flames, reports Breaking News.
Detective Garda Eoin Monahan told Kieran Kelly BL, prosecuting, that a female security officer who was inside the premises at the time saw the event on surveillance cameras and left by a back door.
But before she was found safe and unharmed, firefighters battling the fire were originally concerned for her safety since she had left her phone and other personal stuff inside, reports Breaking News.
On May 24th of last year, Donohue, who lives in Citywest View, Tallaght, entered a guilty plea to one count of arson at St. John’s House, High Street, Tallaght.
He has been in detention ever then and has no prior convictions. The maximum punishment for this offence is life in jail.
According to the court, €28,000 worth of damage was done to the structure, which had been designated for use by the International Protection Office for immigrants. The fire did not damage anyone, reports Breaking News.
CCTV footage of the event revealed Donohue as the offender, and he was taken into custody soon after.
GiollaÃosa Ó Lideadha SC, the defence attorney, stated that his client had a difficult upbringing and experienced poverty and maltreatment, reports Breaking News.
In spite of this, he excelled academically until he was sixteen and was skilled in martial arts. Around this time, Donohue began spending hours in his bedroom, according to Mr. Ó Lideadha, who also stated that “he then came under the influence of some extremely racist people.”
According to the court, “this racist person under whose influence he was started suggesting to him that other people would be at risk” after a close friend of Donohue was the victim of a terrible attack, reports Breaking News.
Defence counsel said that Donohue began linking this attack “with propaganda of a racist kind.”
According to a testimonial from a takeout owner who hired Donohue for a brief period of time and is himself an immigrant, he was surprised by the crime and said that Donohue always got along well with individuals from all different countries while working in his establishment.
According to the defence attorney, Donohue has “completely changed his attitude” and is now embarrassed by what he did. While incarcerated, he is preparing for his Leaving Certificate.
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