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A 28-year-old man has been charged with a serious arson that destroyed a home seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) from gang boss Liam Byrne.
Joseph Richards, of Belclare Drive, Ballymun, Dublin, was arrested at his home on Friday and detained at Ballyfermot Garda Station under section four of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
He was charged with arson of a house, owned by CAB, on Grangeview Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. It was badly damaged by a fire just after midnight on 12 August last.
Richards appeared before Judge John Hughes in Dublin District Court on Saturday and was denied bail.
Det Gda Chris O’Sullivan said Richards did not respond when charged.
Objecting to bail due to the seriousness of the case, Det Gda O’Sullivan said a Volvo 4X4 and a Vauxhall Vectra were alleged to have arrived at the home, which was vacant and secured with steel plates and steel doors.
The Volvo was alleged to have been inverted by the front of the house and left “lodged in the living room window.”
“An accelerator was used which caused an explosion in the vehicle and the house,” he said.
It took firefighters 45 minutes to cut through the steel plates and doors to extinguish the fire, the court heard.
Damage to CAB’s property was estimated to have exceeded € 100,000. The entire front of the house will have to be demolished and rebuilt, the court heard.
Neighboring houses were badly damaged as well, the judge was told.
CCTV Images
Det Gda O’Sullivan told the court that CAB had seized the house under the Liam Byrne Crime Assets Act 1996, before Raleigh Square, Crumlin, Dublin.
The court heard that Liam Byrne “is believed to be a member of organized crime at the highest level in the State.”
It was alleged that the defendants purchased the two vehicles used on August 6 and were registered under false names and addresses. He was also alleged to have participated in the arson.
Cross-examined by defense attorney Michelle Finan, Detective Garda O’Sullivan said a large body of evidence had been gathered and accepted that the CCTV footage was unclear.
The crime can carry life imprisonment.
Dressed in a gray tracksuit and wearing a mask, Roberts did not address the court and has not yet indicated how he will plead.
Pleading for bail, his attorney told the court that his client would meet strict conditions.
Judge Hughes said the defendant had the presumption of innocence and the presumption of bail and that it could take up to two years until his trial.
However, he maintained the standard required to deny that the prosecution had honored the bond.
Legal aid was granted to Mr. Richards, who is unemployed and receiving social assistance.
Judge Hughes ordered him into pretrial detention to appear via video link Tuesday in Cloverhill District Court.
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