The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has given a two-year jail sentence to a man who caused damage estimated at between €150,000 and €340,000 in a Dublin auto spares yard by lighting a cigarette in the middle of the night.
Brian Hudson, 42, of Kenny's House, Kilgarrif, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, pleaded guilty to arson of the 11 cars at Southside Motor Spares, Westpier, Dún Laoighaire.
Hudson, who is originally from Dún Laoighaire, told gardaí he had got into the yard through a hole in a fence to look for a new exhaust for his car, at about 3am on the morning of December 31, 2004.
He said that he discarded a lit piece of paper after stopping to smoke a cigarette.
