Joseph McCauley, aged 56, from Portlec Place, appeared before Newry Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with arson with intent to endanger life. Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. A PSNI officer revealed that on August 11, at 9.
50pm, police received a report from NI Fire and Rescue Service that the defendant had called claiming there was smoke coming into his flat and he ‘was trapped’. The NIFRS said it discovered what is believed was a deliberate ignition at the front door of the flat. Advertisement Advertisement Police viewed CCTV footage from an external wall and, prior to the alarm sounding, no one was spotted entering or exiting the building.
Neighbours were in their gardens and didn’t see or hear anyone climbing the rear fences or in through the side gate. The officer said police suspected someone from within the block of flats had caused the fire. He added the defendant appeared to be “acting unusually” and told an officer that his “prayers had been answered and now he will be moved”.
He said the other three occupants of the complex were not under suspicion. "Police suspected the defendant had started the fire himself and he was arrested for arson,” said the officer, adding that McCauley denied setting the fire himself and claimed he had threats made against him and believes these people or those connected to them set the fire. District Judge Francis Raffe.