A man who started a fire which caused millions of pounds worth of damage to a building in the Cathedral Quarter has been handed a five-month jail sentence for assaulting and resisting police.
Appearing before Lisburn Magistrates’ Court by videolink from custody today, Patrick Gough (21) entered guilty pleas to both charges relating to an incident on November 14 last year.
The court heard how police had even called to an address in Dunmurry, but when they tried to arrest the arsonist for being unlawfully at large at the time, “he became aggressive to officers”.
According to prosecutors, Gough then pulled his arm away and “clenched his fists and bared his teeth” before being moved outside, where “had to be taken to the ground in a controlled manner”.
The lawyer told the court that the defendant’s attitude was such that “his handcuffs had to be moved from the front to the rear” — and even then the defendant lashed out at police, kicking an officer in the chest.
Defence counsel Patrick Taylor revealed that his client, of no fixed abode in Belfast, is in custody after his prison release licence was revoked.
Urging the judge to impose a concurrent sentence, he told the court that Gough is not due for release until July 2026.
Gough was jailed last year after he admitted a charge of arson arising from a fire which caused millions of pounds worth of damage in October 2022.
Crews from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service spent around eleven hours at the scene of the blaze at the Old Cathedral building, which was reported shortly after 05:30 BST.
The court heard that damage was caused to buildings and contents at the Police Ombudsman’s office and a number of commercial businesses, including Neighbourhood Cafe and Never Never clothes shop.
Many workers in the creative industry lost property and workspace as a result of the fire, while the cost of the damage to the buildings and contents was expected to rise beyond £3m.
Gough was arrested close to the scene of the fire after the police viewed CCTV footage which showed a man climbing down scaffolding at the Police Ombudsman’s office.
Today, District Judge Rosie Watters imposed five-month jail sentences on each count and ordered them to be served concurrently with Gough’s current sentence.