Petrol bomb attacks on homes should be treated as attempted murder, says Cork TD

Thomas Gould says classifying petrol bomb attacks as property crime risks downplaying the danger to families inside targeted homes

The suspected arson attack at Siver Birch off the Rochestown Road early on Monday morning.

Petrol bomb attacks on people’s homes should be reclassified as an offence like attempted murder rather than as arson, with such incidents being in danger of getting lost in the statistics despite their severity.

That is according to Cork TD Thomas Gould, who claimed that although arson could bring the maximum penalty under Irish law of life in prison, its classification as an offence causing damage to property rather than to people risks diluting people's understanding of the severity of the crime.