Man remanded in custody in connection to house fire

A Magherafelt man who stands accused of setting fire to his former’s partner house, was remanded in custody when he appeared before Magherafelt Magistrates’ Court this morning. John Paul Henry of Sandymount faces charges of arson and common assault. The offences are believed to have occurred on December 4. The 35 year-old is also charged with making threats to damage property sometime between November 15 and November 25. The defendant was arrested following a house fire in the Sandymount area of the town on Friday (December 4.) An investigating officer in the case told the court that on the date in question, police received a report from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service that a semi-detached property in the Sandymout area was alight. Three fire crews were tasked to the scene and neighbouring properties had to be evacuated. A 19 year-old woman had left the property about an hour previous following an alleged altercation with the defendant who, the court heard, she had been in an on-off relationship with. The officer then told the court that the injured party told police she had previously received abusive phone calls from the defendant. At around 2am, the injured party and her friends left the property. At 4am they returned and found that the house was on fire, the investigating officer said. The injured party ran into the house and managed to rescue her dog from the back porch. The woman told the police that two week previous, Henry is alleged to have said to her “if that child wasn’t in the house, I would have burnt it to the ground.” Police carried out searches of the defendant’s home but he could not be located. Henry attended Dungannon Police Station with his solicitor where he was arrested, the court was told. He was questioned and denied all the offences. Henry made no reply during interview, apart from saying that the allegations were ‘all bullsh**t.’ Applying for a bail application, Defence barrister Joe McCann told the court that when the alleged threat had been made against the injured party two weeks previous, she ‘had not alerted police.’ Mr McCann added: “The most serious charge that the defendant faces is arson but there is no forensic evidence linking him to the scene or there is no witness to the fire being lit- essentially there is no evidence.” District Judge Alan White said: “This is a very serious charge and in my view, there is a serious risk to the injured party and for that reason I am opposing bail.” Henry was remanded in custody to appear back via video-link on January 6.