Courts / Kildare / Report
Arsonist could have burnt down "half of Leixlip", Judge says
Summary
Joseph Cooney, 22, pleaded guilty to setting fire to a shed behind the Salmon Leap pub and a house on Main Street in Leixlip on 25 November 2012, causing almost €400,000 in damage. He was remanded in custody for sentencing on 24 November. Judge Martin Nolan, hearing the case at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, accepted a Garda's view that the arson was a one‑off "act of madness" and noted Cooney's near‑perfect mitigation due to his guilty plea, remorse, lack of prior convictions and strong references. The judge warned that "half of Leixlip" could have been destroyed and innocent people could have died because of Cooney's "gross error of judgement". Cooney was jailed for two weeks while the judge decided on his final sentence. The case involved three fires: a shed behind the pub, the pub's lounge, and a vacant terraced house on Main Street, with the latter causing an estimated €160,000 in damage.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Arsonist could have burnt down "half of Leixlip", Judge says. Charges or matters: arson of a shed behind the Salmon Leap pub in Leixlip and at a house on Main Street on the town in the early hours of November 25, 2012. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- November 25, 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 24 Adjournment
- 2014-11-10 Publication
Why: But he said "half of Leixlip" could have been burnt down and innocent people could have died because of Cooney's "gross error of judgement". CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: arson of a shed behind the Salmon Leap pub in Leixlip and at a house on Main Street on the town in the early hours of November 25, 2012 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: At his sentence hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan accepted a garda's view that the arson was a one-off "act of madness".; Cooney, of St Finian's Avenue, Lucan, Co Dublin, was remanded in custody for sentencing on November 24.
Places mentioned
- Main Street
- Leap
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Main Street
- The house
Topics
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