BBCA 21-year-old man has appeared in court charged with arson following an attack on a house in Dungannon, County Tyrone.
Miguel Caetanito was charged with arson with intent to endanger life.
Mr Caetanito, with an address at Canal Place in Coalisland, appeared from custody in Dungannon via video link to Strabane Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Officers rescued a 37-year-old man and 70-year-old woman, along with two children, aged seven and 10, from the house in Cunninghams Lane on Monday night, 3 February.
‘I’m in a lot of trouble’
Police responded to a report of children trapped in the house.
Following the fire, eight PSNI officers were treated in hospital for the effects of smoke inhalation but were later discharged.
A police officer told the court that the two children are in a stable condition.
The injured pensioner is in a stable condition and the man remains in intensive care.
PacemakerThe court heard that while in the ambulance, the police spoke to the 10-year-old child who informed police that “the crazy man in the red jumper did it”.
Police said they observed the defendant on the roof of the property wearing a red jumper and noted that he appeared intoxicated. He was subsequently arrested.
After his arrest, the defendant made an unsolicited comment stating that: “I came out of the fire”, an officer told the court.
Police also said that when he was in hospital, the defendant said: “I’m in a lot of trouble, I need to speak to a solicitor urgently”.
‘No comment’ during interviews
The officer added that after treatment they were able to get a more detailed statement from the 10-year-old child.
She said that after finishing her homework on the night of the fire, she went upstairs.
She told police, the male in the red jumper, that she identified as Miguel Caetanito, was in the house.
She told police that while upstairs she became warm and opened her bedroom window and realised there was a fire in the house.
She went to close her bedroom door but the door was forced open by the fire and the bedroom filled with smoke.
The officer told the court as the children were upstairs, the defendant ran up the stairs to alert them to the fire and then tried to get them out through the back window and this is when police arrived.
Police said the defendant replied: “No comment” during interviews over the course of two days.
Insufficient evidence
A defence solicitor questioned if there was any evidence connecting his client to the fire.
The officer pointed to the eye witness account from the child and said the fire service had advised that the fire was started maliciously and they were satisfied that they could connect him to the charge.
A defence solicitor said that the child had not witnessed the fire being started as she was upstairs and the evidence was that the fire was started downstairs.
The solicitor said he believed there was insufficient evidence to connect his client to the charge.
The judge noted that Mr Caetanito made no comment when interviewed by police and if it had have been an accidental fire he should have given an explanation as to what happened.
The defendant was remanded in custody.
The case is due to be heard again on 26 February.
