2021-05-18
'I knew I was going to get her': arsonist jailed for attack on neighbour
Stage: Sentence
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: The judge accepted that at the time of the incident, Coughlan's judgment was heavily affected by his mental illness, alcohol and anti-depressants and that as a result, his moral culpability was reduced. "If he had set this fire with the intention of harming (the victim) this court would have imposed a sentence of eight to 10 years," Judge Nolan said. Instead, the judge handed down a sentence of eight years and suspended the final four years on a number of conditions.