A Dublin man who set fire to a house while its owners were sleeping inside has been given a three-year suspended sentence by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Canice Hilliard (27) of Shangan Road, Ballymun, pleaded guilty to setting fire to the front door of a neighbouring house in Ballymun early in the morning on February 24th, 2001.
A bench warrant has been issued for his brother, Rohan, who also pleaded guilty to the charge but was not in court.
Judge Frank O'Donnell said although this case deserved a custodial sentence he was satisfied from the information he had been given by gardai that Hilliard would not offend again.
He said he believed the other family were not entirely innocent and noted Canice Hilliard had previously received 15 stitches following an attack by members of the second family.
Earlier, the court heard there had been an ongoing dispute between the Hilliard family and the owners of the house.