A Co Monaghan woman who set fire to her boyfriend's home after an argument and then to her family home has been jailed for four years by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Mary Murphy, Cherry Park, Clones, Monaghan, pleaded guilty to arson on her boyfriend's house in Dublin on May 31st, 1997. Murphy broke down and buried her head in her hands when the sentence was passed.
Judge Frank O'Donnell said he would review the sentence in 18 months from January 6th when she was first taken into custody.
Mr Gerry O'Brien, defending, said at an earlier hearing that his client had come from Clones during the week after having a fight with her father and went on a drinking binge. She was a chronic alcoholic.
Garda Peter Mulryan told Mr George Birmingham, prosecuting, that Murphy had three previous convictions and set fire to her family home just six months after burning her boyfriend's home.
Garda Mulryan said on the occasion of the Dublin fire, Murphy met her boyfriend in the city centre where they both got very drunk. They returned to her boyfriend's home and consumed an additional bottle of whiskey and a bottle of vodka. A row ensued and Murphy went downstairs, turned on the gas cooker and set fire to the kitchen. The fire spread to other parts of the house, causing £32,000 worth of damage.
Garda Mulyan said her boyfriend was asleep upstairs at the time and had to be rescued from the bedroom by neighbours. Murphy tried to re-enter the blazing house but neighbours restrained her. Murphy told gardai that at the time of the incident her boyfriend started firing cassette tapes around the room and would not let her sleep.
She said that as flames quickly spread throughout the kitchen, she ran up the stairs and shouted at her boyfriend that the house was on fire. He replied "All right" and went back to sleep.