Courts / Dublin / Report
Serial arsonist gets seven years for blaze at home he also damaged 23 years ago
Summary
A 46-year-old man has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment following a deliberate fire at a house in Shankill, Dublin in December 2024. Jason Flynn of Longford House, Spencer Dock, Dublin 1, pleaded guilty to arson at the address on 5 December 2024 and possession of cannabis for sale or supply on 23 December 2024. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Flynn travelled over 19 kilometres to set fire to a car and Christmas wreath at the family home in the early hours, knowing a family of five was inside. A neighbour's alert enabled their escape. The court was told this was the second fire Flynn had caused at the property; he had previously set a fire there in 2001 after being evicted from the adjacent house, which he then occupied. Judge Martin Nolan noted Flynn acted with malice and forethought, stating that had the family not been alerted, fire could have entered the home with potentially fatal consequences. Flynn has 19 previous convictions including arson and assault causing serious harm.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Serial arsonist gets seven years for blaze at home he also damaged 23 years ago. Charges or matters: one count of arson at an address in Shankill on December 5, 2024 and one count of possessing cannabis for sale or supply at his home on December 23, 2024. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- December 2024 Incident
- December 5, 2024 Incident
- December 23, 2024 Incident
- December 23 Incident
- Christmas Other
- 2025-07-01 Publication
Why: A letter from Flynn outlining his motive for starting the fire was handed into court, but not read aloud. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: one count of arson at an address in Shankill on December 5, 2024 and one count of possessing cannabis for sale or supply at his home on December 23, 2024 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: He said Flynn set fire to the house in an act of "misplaced vengeance towards the house". "The problem with fire is once it's started, no one knows where it ends up," the judge said. "People could have died on this particular night." Judge Nolan set a headline sentence of 10 to 12 years and then reduced it to seven years, taking into account the fact that Flynn's pleas were signed guilty pleas from the District Court.
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Longford
- Longford House
Topics
Drugs Stage Sentence Violent Crime
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