Keith Riggs jailed for arson at Dublin homeless hostel

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Keith Riggs was jailed for nine and a half years for arson and endangerment at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 30 January 2023. He set fire to the Depaul Hostel on Little Green Street in Dublin 7 on 26 March 2022.

The fire left Shauna O’Brien with catastrophic, life-limiting injuries after she fell unconscious while trying to escape. Four people were taken to hospital, and the hostel housed up to 100 people.

The court imposed an 11-year sentence, with the final 18 months suspended. Judge Dara Hayes said the offence had substantial aggravating factors; Riggs’s guilty plea and remorse were mitigating factors.

Dublin City Council spent €2.8 million repairing the hostel and rehousing residents, according to the report.