Yob who poured petrol through uncle's letterbox before flames erupted is deemed dangerous by Leeds judge
A furious yob poured petrol through the letterbox of his uncle’s home and lit it after he was refused entry.
Connor Dunphy was given an extended eight-year jail sentence after a judge at Leeds Crown Court deemed him as a danger to the public.
The 28-year-old, who appeared in court from HMP Leeds where he was on remand, admitted arson with an intent to endanger life. He initially denied the charge but changed his plea on the day he was due to stand trial.
The court was told that Dunphy’s uncle had allowed him to stay with him at his address on Mill Street, South Kirkby, but was warned drinking or drug taking would not be tolerated.
In the early hours of June 30 last year, his uncle was asleep on the sofa when Dunphy began knocking on the door, wanting to be in. The man refused and Dunphy left after around 20 minutes when the police were called.
He returned at around 9am when the police had left, and began banging on the door again. Again he was refused entry with his uncle telling Dunphy that he “had not changed”, claiming he had stolen items.
Then minutes later, the man could smell petrol and saw flames coming from the door. He was able to put it out with bowls of water, prosecutor Rachel Webster told the court.
Doorbell camera footage had picked up Dunphy with the jerry can that he had retrieved from his uncle’s outhouse and poured fuel through the letterbox before the flames erupted.
He was arrested and gave a no-comment interview to police.
Dunphy, of Hoyland Terrace, South Kirkby, has seven previous convictions for 17 offences, including multiple counts of assaulting emergency workers and battery.
Mitigating, Gerald Hendron said Dunphy was remorseful and had told him that he was sorry to his uncle and regrets his actions.
He added: “He knows he will be punished but wants to to be given the opportunity to help address the underlying issues that he knows he has.”
He said that alcohol was a “primary trigger” for his offending in “low-level persistent violence”.
Mr Hendron added: “This is a significant escalation in that offending. He was at the lowest of low ebbs when he committed this.”
Judge Simon Batiste told Dunphy that despite his uncle’s kindness, he had put his life in danger.
He said: “Thankfully, the fire was put out relatively quickly and damage was relatively limited. Given that it was small terraced property, it could have easily spread and caused a risk to life.
“It was a very, very dangerous act indeed.”
He gave him five years’ jail, with an extended licence period of three years.