Woman (29) jailed for setting her neighbour's car on fire
A woman who set her neighbour's car on fire after googling how to make an improvised pipe bomb has been jailed for a year.
Tammy O'Connor (29) with an address at Craigie Court, Finglas, Dublin 11 pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage, arson and theft at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
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The court heard that the injured party, who works as a taxi driver, went to his car to start work at 1:30 am on July 4th, 2023 when he noticed the front passenger window had been smashed and the rear tyres slashed.
The coin tray containing €100 and a dash cam were taken, with €300 worth of damage caused.
Two weeks later, on July 28th, 2023, the injured party was at home when he heard the apartment block's fire alarm go off.
He ran outside and saw smoke coming from the underground car park. He recognised a car alarm going off as his own. He saw the passenger side window of his car had been smashed and the interior was on fire.
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Dublin Fire Brigade and the gardaí were called. The car had to be written off.
CCTV from both dates was obtained by gardaí, and O'Connor was identified from the footage.
The injured party indicated to gardaí that there had been issues between them and he had to report her to the housing authority.
When arrested, O'Connor made full admissions. She said something had come into her head that day, and she googled how to make a homemade pipe bomb.
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She admitted to smashing the window and throwing the improvised device into the car. She told gardaí that she received an eviction notice from the housing authority following the complaint made by the injured party.
O'Connor has 16 previous convictions, all District Court matters, including for public order offences and theft.
The investigating garda agreed with Mark McMahon BL, defending, that O'Connor told gardaí she was under stress and was not thinking clearly after receiving the eviction notice.
It was further accepted that O'Connor has addiction issues and mental health difficulties. The garda also agreed that a letter of apology had been given to the injured party.
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Reading his victim impact statement to the court, the injured party said he had 'looked after' O'Connor and her family after they moved, providing them with food and furniture.
He said he helped them, but one night he heard his front door being kicked and when he went out, it was O'Connor.
He said when O'Connor was drunk, she was kicking and banging on his door. He asked her not to do it outside his door, but then had to contact the housing authority.
He said double locks and panic alarms were installed in his property, along with CCTV on his balcony in the wake of these incidents.
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He said he worried for his partner while he was at work.
The injured party said he faced losses to replace the car and equipment.
Mr McMahon outlined his client's background to the court. O'Connor has mental health difficulties, including depression and anxiety when she was a teenager, which led her down the path of addiction.
Counsel said O'Connor spent time in hospital due to drug-induced psychosis.
Mr McMahon said that his client has no real explanation for her actions.
She saw the eviction notice, realised she had no one else to blame then took 'very serious and dangerous actions' to set the car alight, counsel said.
He said O'Connor is extremely remorseful and apologetic, but is not in a financial position to offer compensation. She has one child and is doing well in custody.
After hearing the facts, Judge Elva Duffy said at an earlier hearing that the offence involved a 'significant degree of recklessness' and 'everybody is lucky it was not a significantly worse offence than it is'.
She noted the impact on the injured party, who had 'started out as a good neighbour', but 'couldn't sit back and take it in his home' when O'Connor's behaviour became challenging.
Sentencing O'Connor on Monday, Judge Duffy said there was some suggestion that her actions were 'acts of retaliation or revenge' for events in which she had felt wronged herself.
The judge acknowledged that O'Connor has difficulties in terms of tablet misuse and her mental health.
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She said she had a limited capacity to understand the 'potentially hugely serious consequences of her actions' referring to the fact that the fire was set in the carpark of an apartment building.
Judge Duffy accepted that O'Connor is 'open and honest' about her situation and further accepted that she is willing to engage with the Probation Service.
'She is vulnerable but the issues before the court are serious,' Judge Duffy said before she sentenced O'Connor to two and a half years in prison.
She suspended the final 18 months of the term on strict conditions, including that she engages with the Probation Service for 18 months upon her ultimate release from prison.
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