Court gives man eight years for Cork arson

An eight-year jail sentence was imposed today on the man who caused €2.7m worth of fire damage in Skibbereen, County Cork, last April.

"There was no premeditation, the offence was random, he was out of control on the day, possibly because he was drunk," Judge Con Murphy said at Cork Circuit Criminal Court as he sentenced Vladimir Raspapov, 35, of Room 684, North Quay Place, Pope’s Quay, Cork, to concurrent eight-year sentences on five counts of arson in Skibbereen, Co Cork, on April 9 2006.

Detective Garda Maurice Shanley said: "Four spare gas cylinders were opened and lit. This was how the fire was started. The fire spread into the Church Restaurant. This old historic building was completely gutted."

Thirty-five full-time staff were employed there at the time but it has not been possible to re-build it and most of the staff have now taken up jobs elsewhere.

Kenneally’s hardware store which was a particular concern at the time of the fire because of the presence of paint products is now closed after 100 years in business in the town.

Up to €1.6m in damage was caused to the Church Restaurant, €656,000 to Kenneally’s, €110,000 to Kathleen Collins’s shop, €300,000 to the Masonic Hall and €32,000 to the social welfare offices, making up a total of approximately €2.7m in damage.

The guard said there was no connection between Raspopov and the town and that his actions on the day were completely random.

Tim O’Leary, defence senior counsel, emphasised the defendant’s lack of previous convictions and described the incident as isolated, unusual, random and bizarre.