A man who set fire to a house on Christmas Day, slashed the homeowner with a knife and told him he was going to die, has been jailed for six years and nine months.
33-year-old Shane Casey, previously of Shanowen, Rathcormac, Co Cork, entered guilty pleas to arson, assault causing harm and production of a blade.
Four people were inside the house on Dyke Parade in Cork when it was set on fire at around 6pm on Christmas Day 2023.
CCTV showed Shane Casey attempting to barricade the door of the house from the outside.
He slashed at the forehead of a man trying to escape and said ‘My name is Shane Casey and you remember me from two days ago, you are going to die here tonight.’
Three people escaped the house and were treated for smoke inhalation, while Cork City Fire fighters rescued a woman who could not escape from the roof of a neighbouring house.
Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said Shane Casey- who wrote letters of apology - has significant mental health difficulties and described his actions on the day as ‘extremely dangerous’.
