Appeal against severity of sentences for attempted arson and criminal damage refused following petrol bomb attack on family home

The Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal against sentence severity by an individual convicted in the Circuit Criminal Court of attempted arson and criminal damage arising from a violent feud between two families. The offences involved a petrol bomb attack on a family home occupied by a woman and her three young children, as well as damage to a parked car. The appellant, who was 19 years old at the time and described as the ringleader, received a concurrent sentence of seven and a half years’ imprisonment (with eighteen months suspended). The Court of Appeal found that the sentencing judge properly considered the seriousness of the offences, premeditated harm, and the appellant's leadership role, and fairly assessed relevant mitigating factors such as youth, guilty plea, and lack of subsequent offending. No error of principle was identified, and the appeal was therefore refused, affirming the original sentence.