A 25-year-old man has received a four-month suspended sentence after being convicted of attacking a direct provision centre in Killarney, Co Kerry earlier this year.
Eamon Murphy, of Curragh, Aghadoe, Killarney, along with a co-accused, had pleaded guilty to criminal damage and trespass at Harmony Inn on Muckross Road in the town in the early hours of New Year's Day last.
Killarney District Court was told that he has two previous convictions for public order offences and committed a third offence while on bail for the attack.
Co-accused Evan Murphy, of Rahanane, Kilcummin, Killarney, was ordered to pay €2,000 to Killarney Immigrant Support Centre and to stay out of trouble.
The 22-year-old was remanded on continuing bail until 18 February next. He has no previous convictions.
"Unfortunately social media was an influence in this. It was a factor. Alcohol was a factor," Evan Murphy's solicitor Brendan Ahern told Judge David Waters.
The apprentice plumber was considering emigrating to Canada, the court had previously been told.
Judge Waters said it struck him as "most bizarre" that someone who attacked with petrol a building housing asylum seekers seeking a better life wanted to avoid a conviction so he could go to another country and prevail on their humanity to better his own life.
However, Mr Ahern said his client had changed.
"He has had to learn about the difficulty asylum seekers face having to reside in accommodation centres," the solicitor said.
Judge Waters said he had taken into account reports by The Probation Service and had in mind leaving Evan Murphy without a conviction rather than imposing one on the basis of one incident.
He has already paid €1,000 towards the cost of the criminal damage to the door of Harmony Inn as well as €250, the court heard.
In the case of Eamon Murphy, solicitor Padraig O'Connell said he could not dispute his client had previous convictions with "alcohol consumption ... the anchor to all" of them.
Mr O'Connell said his client is genuinely remorseful, has completed an alcohol awareness programme, done all that was asked of him by The Probation Service, and is employed in the family haulage business.
"I can guarantee this will never happen again," the solicitor added.
He said that Eamon Murphy has €750 towards the criminal damage of the door and contributed €2,000 to the charity Little Blue Heroes.
A probation officer found him to be at low risk of reoffending.
Judge Waters said he suspected that Eamon Murphy was "the primary mover" for the attack on Harmony Inn.
"This was an appalling act on the night - to consciously make a decision to attack a migrant centre with vulnerable people," he said.
The judge convicted the defendant and sentenced him to four months on each charge, to run concurrently, suspending the four-month sentence for one year on his signed bond.
Previous hearings were told how after consuming alcohol, the two men began scrolling social media when their attention was drawn to negative stories and videos of asylum seekers.
They came up with a plan to scare those resident in Harmony Inn.
The pair cycled with a canister of petrol to the building - housing 70 male asylum seekers - shortly before 6am.
As they tried to kick in the front door, a security guard inside was alerted. The can of petrol was left at the scene.
The men said they had no intention of setting fire to the centre. The damage to the door was estimated at €1,500.
