A man who burned down his own business for the insurance payout has walked free from court, despite putting firefighters at risk.
David Healy could have faced a life sentence for arson and attempted deception but walked away with a 10-year suspended sentence on the condition he pays €33,000 to the State.
The judge said his ‘elaborate web of deceit’ had put the lives of the fire service at risk. ‘The recklessness element of this means that it is most fortunate nobody was injured in the course of the fire and that no emergency services personnel were injured,’ Judge Gerard O’Brien said.
He imposed total sentences of 10 years imprisonment, but suspend them once Healy paid €33,000 to the State by August 16.
Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard it would have taken one to two hours to stage the fire. And it emerged that just before he burned down his own business, Healy had upped the business insurance for Munster Air Compressors — of which he was a director — from €52,000 to €350,000, an act that made gardaí suspicious.
Healy told gardaí he had locked and left the premises, but they discovered he used a cheap lock that could easily be picked open. It was clear to the Cork fire service that rushed to the scene at Kilbarry Cottages, Dublin Hill, on December 16, 2014 the fire was started deliberately.
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Read full story at source: Extra