Midlands Simon apartment boarded up after fire in Portlaoise

A man admitted possessing a knife and causing criminal damage to an apartment in Laois. 

Jack Rouget (23) of Apartment 3, Block 2, Fielbrook, Dublin Road, Portaloise admitted causing criminal damage at his address and possession of a knife at St Fintan’s grounds, Dublin Road, Portlaoise on May 13 last. 

Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby said the defendant was found with a kitchen knife in the waistband of his trousers at St Fintan’s on the date in question. “During his arrest he disclosed he had set his house on fire,” said Sgt Kirby.

Sgt Kirby said gardaí had been alerted on the date of the offending because the defendant had produced a knife at the workplace of a relative. He told a sitting of Portlaoise District Court the relative didn’t want to make a victim impact statement in relation to the matter. 

Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said her client had alerted gardaí to the fire and they were able to attend. She said the fire resulted in mainly smoke damage which she admitted would be “cold comfort” to the occupants of the three neighbouring apartments. 

Ms Fitzpatrick said her client made full admissions and in relation to the knife, she said, “he intended to harm himself” on the date. She said a medical report that was prepared by a doctor afterwards corroborates this and the man had been in custody since May 14. 

She said her client, who was born in France, had been diagnosed with ADHD and had an inability to commit to school. She said he began smoking cannabis at 14 and had been in treatment in the past and while he has seven previous convictions, three of them relate to a single incident. 

Ms Fitzpatrick said her client had indicated an early plea of guilty and had been cooperative with gardai. “In his time in custody he asked me to ask the court to direct urine analysis,” she said. 

She said her client, who had once been a promising athlete, was “in a poor psychological state” at the time of the offending. She said he had attended boarding school and had a “very poor experience” there. 

Judge Patricia Cronin noted the early plea but said there had been €6,500 in damage done to an apartment belonging to Midlands Simon. 

“I have to note from the victim impact statement that Midlands Simon had no choice but to board up this one bed apartment,” she said. The closure of the apartment will impact on families and people who find themselves homeless, said Judge Cronin. She noted there was no compensation offered and accepted that he had been in custody in recent months.

Judge Cronin sentenced the man to six months in prison for criminal damage and she backdated the sentence to May 14. She took the possession of a knife into consideration and fixed recognisance in case of appeal.