Polish arson attack 'not racist'

Seven Polish men were in the attacked house

The Court of Appeal has reduced the jail term of an east Belfast man who set fire to a house while seven Polish people were inside.

Judges ruled that Ryan McBride's prison sentence should be cut from five to four years after being told his drunken behaviour was not racially motivated.

McBride, 26, pleaded guilty to arson following the attack on the property opposite his own home in August 2006.

While drunk, he had bought petrol which he poured over the doorway and ignited.

The court heard he had drunk up to 12 spirits and four pints of beer before going to a nearby filling station to buy the petrol.

As the flames spread into the house, four of the occupants escaped through a back door. The other three were rescued from a neighbour's roof after getting out a bedroom window.

One of the men sustained a minor leg burn while the others were treated for shock. Damage to the semi-detached house cost more than £10,000 to repair.

The court was told that following his arrest McBride said to police: "Poles shouldn't be here anyway."

He later claimed not to have known Polish people lived in the house and that he had simply been involved in an argument with one of the residents.

'Frighteners'

McBride admitted setting fire to petrol he poured round the bricks, mortar and front step "just to try and put the frighteners up him".

He denied it was a hate crime, claiming he got on well with Polish men with whom he worked alongside as a stevedore at Belfast docks.

With pre-sentence reports also noting that he appeared sincere in his remorse, his lawyers based their appeal on the sentence imposed being manifestly excessive.

Delivering judgment, Lord Justice Campbell referred to reports which showed McBride was not considered to pose an ongoing risk of harm to others.

He said: "Bearing in mind that the applicant's behaviour is not to be regarded as a racial attack we consider that his early admission of guilt, the absence of any criminal behaviour in the past or of any reason to believe that he will present a risk of harm to others in the future is insufficiently reflected in the sentence of five years' imprisonment.

"We will therefore grant leave to appeal and substitute a sentence of four years' imprisonment."