A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a four-year-old girl in an arson attack in Limerick last year.
Patrick Slattery of Garry Glass Avenue, Ballinacurra Weton, was given a life sentence when he appeared before the Central Criminal Court in Limerick today.
Katelyn Ryan (4), of Lenihan Avenue, Prospect, Limerick died from serious injuries at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, on April 8th last year, two days after a fire-bomb attack at her family's home.
Her one-year-old sister, Leah, and her mother, Jackie, also suffered serious injuries in the fire which destroyed the house.
The court heard yesterday that when Ms Jackie Ryan woke up in the early hours of the morning the room was thick with smoke and and her children were crying.
Ms Ryan jumped from a bedroom window with her then 16 month-old daughter, Leah, in her arms and suffered a serious back injury in the fall.
A check was made on all the children as soon as they evacuated the burning house but there was no sign of Katelyn , the court heard.
She was later found lying unconscious on the ground in her parents bedroom and had suffered extensive burns. She was rushed to Limerick Regional Hospital and later transfered to Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Dublin, where she died on April 8th.
Following Slattery's arrest, traces of partially evaporated petrol were found on his clothing. Initially Slattery denied involvement in the arson attack but later he admitted his role and made a statement to gardai.