Courts / Dublin / Report

Five year sentence for man who set fire to partner's apartment

Date
2015-02-02

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Tallaght

County
Dublin

Summary

Paul Hanbury, 23, was sentenced to five years in prison for setting fire to the bed in his partner's apartment in Tallaght on 4 October 2014. He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martin Nolan described the offence as extremely serious, noting that fatalities could have occurred. The final 18 months of the sentence were suspended and backdated to the time of arrest in October 2014. Garda Michael McGrath reported that Hanbury had entered the apartment at 2 p.m., drank with his girlfriend and her sister, and that the couple's two‑year‑old and four‑month‑old sons were present. After a quarrel sometime after midnight, Hanbury locked himself in a bedroom, set the mattress on fire, and left the window open. The fire was discovered by the girlfriend and her sister, who evacuated the children and called the fire brigade.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Five year sentence for man who set fire to partner's apartment. Charges or matters: arson in the apartment in Tallaght on October 4, 2014. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

October 4, 2014 Incident
October 2014 Incident
2015-02-02 Publication

Case subjects

Paul Hanbury

Defendant

Charges: arson in the apartment in Tallaght on October 4, 2014 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Martin Nolan said that "it was an extremely serious crime and fatalities could have occurred by Mr Hanbury's reckless and intentional actions." He suspended the final 18 months of the sentence and backdated it to October 2014 when Hanbury went into custody.