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Man who set fire to front door of house while ex-partner and children slept inside is jailed for three years

Summary

John Paul McDonagh, aged 32, was sentenced to three years in prison for setting fire to the front door of his ex‑partner Caroline Maughan's house in Dublin 17 on 22 July 2014. McDonagh had been in a relationship with Maughan for six years and they had two children together. In the early hours of the incident, he arrived at the house, threw empty beer bottles at a bedroom window, shouted at Maughan as she opened the front door, and then poured petrol onto the door and set it alight. He fled in his car while the fire was still burning. Maughan's mother, Kathleen, woke up, extinguished the fire, and called the Gardaí. CCTV footage captured McDonagh pouring fuel and setting the door on fire before running away. McDonagh, who has 65 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to arson and admitted he acted only to frighten his partner.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man who set fire to front door of house while ex-partner and children slept inside is jailed for three years. Charges or matters: arson at Baskin Park, Stockhall Lane in Dublin 17 on July 22, 2014. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 22, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• November 2013 Other
• July 22 Other
• 2015-05-12 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Arson Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report