Courts

Arson attack on Derry home killed three dogs and caused £70,000 worth of damage, court hears

Connor Lishman (37) arrested while standing in a crowd observing the blaze in June

Northern Ireland High Court stock image
Connor Lishman, of Eastway Gardens, Derry, was refused bail on charges of arson with intent to endanger life, burglary, and criminal damage to the animals who died. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
Alan Erwin
Mon Sept 02 2024 - 20:01

An arson attack on a home in Derry killed three dogs and caused £70,000 worth of damage, the High Court in Belfast heard on Monday.

Prosecutors claimed Connor Lishman (37) started the fire which gutted the house in the Meadowview Crescent area of the city.

He was arrested from among a crowd observing the blaze on June 16th, a judge was told.

Details emerged as Mr Lishman, of Eastway Gardens in Derry, was refused bail on charges of arson with intent to endanger life, burglary, and criminal damage to the animals who died.

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He also faces three counts of assaulting police officers called to the scene.

The court heard that a woman and her children who live in the property were not present when the fire started.

But Crown counsel Sarah Minford said: “Her three dogs were sadly killed in the arson, and the cost of damage caused to the inside of the house is estimated to be in the vicinity of £70,000.”

That figure does not include any repairs required for structural damage to neighbouring homes.

CCTV recordings captured a man wearing a white hoodie leaving the address a short time before the fire took hold.

Moments later the footage showed smoke billowing from the house and flames blasting out into the garden.

An unidentified witness claimed to have seen a male in similar clothing and with a distinctive neck tattoo at the relevant time.

Based on that description, Mr Lishman was detained as police checked members of a crowd watching the blaze.

Ms Minford alleged that he became violent during the arrest process, kicking and trying to spit on two officers and threatening to bite off their colleague’s nose.

He is also accused of breaking into a house on nearby Osborne Street to steal medication on the same evening.

Opposing Mr Lishman’s application for bail, counsel argued that he knew the victims and could interfere with the ongoing investigation.

Defence barrister Declan Quinn confirmed his client disputes the arson charge.

Raising issues about the identification evidence, Mr Quinn submitted: “The defendant was arrested from a crowd, this isn’t someone in the middle of nowhere who matched the description.”

However, Mr Justice Humphreys ruled there was no change of circumstances to warrant releasing Lishman.

He said: “This man may well have improved his lifestyle over the last few years, but I’m driven to refuse the application.”