POLICE who caught two arsonists saved Our Lady's Catholic Church at Harryville, Co Antrim, from being destroyed by fire last December, Belfast Crown Court heard yesterday.
The officers succeeded in extinguishing the flames fuelled by petrol poured through a broken window and only £3,500 worth of damage was caused.
Judge Derick Rodgers heard the two men in the dock had decided to burn down the church in a drunken plan after spending the evening drinking in a local bar.
David McKillen (21), from Wakehurst Park, Ballymena, and Darren Gilmore, also 21, of Francis Street, pleaded guilty to arson on December 19th last.
A defence lawyer told the court the men were so drunk that much of the petrol was spilt on the forecourt of the garage where they bought it and on their clothes. He added that both wished to express regret for what they had done. They realised it had been very wrong interviews they were at pains to stress that this action was not orchestrated by anyone else. It was completely their own idea at a time when they were very drunk.
"These young men got swept up with emotions which appeared to be rife in Ballymena at the time," the lawyer added.
Judge Rodgers said arson was always a serious matter, but it was particularly reprehensible at a place of worship where it could be viewed as an attack on a community.
Gilmore, who has a previous conviction for arson, was jailed for three years. McKillen was given 2 1/2 years.