Man Sentenced to Nearly Four Years for Arson of Cars and Home

A 44-year-old man has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for setting fire to two cars and a house while the owners were asleep. Seán Byrne, residing on Cushlawn Way in Tallaght, was intoxicated during the incident and claimed he could not remember the events of that night. He pleaded guilty to the charges at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

On the night of October 20, 2023, gardaí responded to a report of a car ablaze in a driveway located in Tyrconnell, Inchicore around 03:15. The owner, awakened by a loud bang, discovered his vehicle engulfed in flames. Surveillance footage from a nearby property captured Byrne entering and exiting the vehicle before it caught fire. According to the court, Byrne was seen in the video for only a few seconds prior to the ignition, leaving unclear how the fire started.

As the fire spread, a second car also ignited, and the front of the house suffered heat damage from the flames. The vehicles belonged to a couple residing in the home, both of which were declared total losses. Their insurance covered over €21,000 in damages to the property.

Byrne was later located by gardaí and appeared highly intoxicated, providing a false name at that time. Investigators seized two backpacks and a bicycle that he was seen using in the surveillance footage. Once sober, Byrne reportedly exhibited a more agreeable demeanor, with his condition having significantly improved since the incident.

His defense attorney, John Griffin BL, stated that Byrne had no recollection of the event, emphasizing that the incident lacked any planning or sophistication. Griffin remarked, “It was a matter that went wrong. It could have gone much more wrong.” The attorney also noted Byrne’s long history of drug and alcohol abuse, which has led to numerous previous convictions, exceeding 70.

Griffin explained that Byrne had resorted to stealing food to support a heroin addiction, spending much of his life in and out of prison. “He does very well in prison. He comes out a very fresh, healthy man,” said Griffin, highlighting Byrne’s decision to enter custody voluntarily to seek rehabilitation.

Judge Orla Crowe called the case unusual due to the absence of any accelerant used in the fires. She sentenced Byrne to four and a half years but suspended the final nine months for a period of two years, contingent upon his engagement with the probation service upon release. “Thankfully nobody was hurt, be it because the people were alert or thanks to the fire brigade,” Judge Crowe remarked in her summation.

Byrne’s case underscores the serious consequences of intoxicated behavior and the potential dangers that can arise from such actions.