A 32-yr-old man who caused nearly €250,000 worth of damage to three homes in Cork city after setting fire to one of them on Christmas Day two years ago has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.
The Central Criminal Court heard that Shane Casey, formerly of Shanowen, Rathcormac, Co Cork, had been on High Court bail for an aggravated burglary when the arson occurred, and had been discharged from a psychiatric facility just ten days beforehand, reports RTE.
Casey went to the property at Dyke Parade in Cork city at around 6pm on Christmas Day 2023.
The court was told that the owner of the house had been offering shelter to homeless people as part of his “off grid” lifestyle, reports RTE.
Detective Sergeant Brian Barron said CCTV footage from shortly after 6pm captured Casey approaching the front door and starting a small fire outside using an accelerant, which quickly burned out.
Dt Sgt Barron said that Casey then opened the door moments later, ignited a fire inside, watched it spread, and attempted to barricade the entrance from the outside, reports RTE.
Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford heard that Casey was subsequently spotted on CCTV holding a blade out in front of him while standing outside the house.
Dt Sgt Barron said that around 6.10pm one of the occupants tried to escape from the burning building, reports RTE.
He said Casey swung the blade at the man twice, cutting his forehead and forcing him back into the property.
The man later told gardaí that Casey said to him: “My name is Shane Casey and you remember me from two days ago. You are going to die here tonight”, reports RTE.
Casey then left the scene.
Within the next two minutes, a woman and two men managed to flee the property, but another woman remained trapped on the third floor, reports RTE.
Firefighters arrived at 6.17pm and rescued her by helping her down from the roof of the burning house.
The woman rescued from the roof was treated for smoke inhalation at the Mercy University Hospital, while the man who was attacked required treatment for smoke inhalation and for a 2cm wound, reports RTE.
The court heard that six fire brigade units spent over six hours bringing the fire under control and making the house safe, with the interior packed with piles of rubbish because the owner did not pay for waste collection.
The property was left severely damaged and required approximately €110,000 in repairs before it could be lived in again, reports RTE.
Dt Sgt Barron said the owner had no insurance and was unable to return to his home.
The two neighbouring houses, both previously in very good condition, also suffered damage as a result of the blaze, reports RTE.
One neighbouring property sustained at least €120,000 in damage, while the other incurred repairs costing around €10,000.
Casey, who is unemployed, has 67 previous convictions, including offences for criminal damage, endangerment, and assault, reports RTE.
His defence counsel, Ray Boland, said his client had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was experiencing distorted and paranoid thoughts at the time of the incident.
He said Casey was dealing with “significant mental health difficulties”, reports RTE.
He added that the nature of the offence was unusual because Casey made no attempt to conceal his identity and had even told one of the occupants his name.
Casey had already pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Billy Murphy, producing a blade capable of inflicting serious injury, and committing arson that damaged three properties on Dyke Parade on Christmas Day 2023, reports RTE.
A charge of attempted murder was withdrawn by prosecutors.
Ms Justice Lankford was shown CCTV footage capturing the events of that evening, reports RTE.
The footage included a clip of one of the occupants receiving her Christmas dinner from her mother just minutes before the fire was set.
At sentencing, Ms Justice Lankford said Casey had gone to the house on Christmas Day 2023 under the mistaken belief that someone he had argued with was staying there, reports RTE.
She said the people who were inside the property were entirely innocent.
She noted that the house was owned by a man who had lived there for two decades and that it had fallen into extreme disrepair, with rooms packed floor-to-ceiling with refuse and the ground and first floors almost uninhabitable, reports RTE.
Ms Justice Lankford said it was evident that Casey went there intending to set the building alight and that he was aware people were inside.
She described it as a very grave offence and said the total damage to all three houses amounted to €240,000, reports RTE.
However, she said the most serious factor was the threat posed to human life.
She said the four occupants experienced a deeply frightening ordeal, particularly the woman who had to wait 45 minutes on the roof to be rescued as the fire burned below her, reports RTE.
“Mr Casey imposed on these people what can only be described as a terrifying ordeal,” she said.
She said Casey ordered the homeowner, at knifepoint, to return to the burning building, reports RTE.
Ms Justice Lankford set a headline sentence of 12 years but reduced it to reflect Casey’s guilty plea.
She said she accepted that Casey had come from “a difficult place”, had significant mental health challenges, had long been treated for paranoid schizophrenia, and faced problems with addiction, reports RTE.
She also noted that Casey had written two sincere letters expressing remorse.
She sentenced him to seven years and three months in prison, with the final six months suspended, reports RTE.
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