Man jailed for threatening to burn down ex-partners parents house

By  Eimear Dodd

A man who demanded money from his ex-partner’s parents, telling them their house “would go up like a Christmas tree” has been jailed.

Conor Stewart (31) of Kilcross Court, Sandyford, Dublin 18 pleaded guilty to making an unwarranted demand with menace on May 26, 2024.

Garda Aaron Carney gave evidence that Stewart called to the house in the Sandyford area. The father of Stewart’s former partner opened the door and saw Stewart was on his phone, with the person on the call appearing to tell him what to say.

Stewart told the injured party that his daughter owed a drug debt of €8,000 and said if €4,000 was not paid, “the house would go up like a Christmas tree”.

The injured party told Stewart to leave and he did. The entire incident was captured on a camera doorbell.

After his arrest, Stewart was interviewed once and made admissions. He said he was in difficulty and told he had to do it. He also showed gardai an injury, which he said was part of the difficulties that he himself was in.

Gda Carney said Stewart entered an early guilty plea, which was of value to the prosecution.

Stewart has 84 previous convictions, including for theft, road traffic and drugs offences. He was on bail at the time of this offence and is currently serving a sentence on a separate matter.

Gda Carney agreed with Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, that Stewart’s offending was linked to his longstanding drugs addiction.

It was further agreed that Stewart also owed a drugs debt and was never going to get the benefit of the money that he was demanding to be paid.

Gda Carney agreed that it appeared that a third party was giving directions while Stewart was at the  house, and the attempt to demand money was intended to mollify the people to whom the money was owed.

Mr O’Higgins asked the court to take into account his client’s guilty plea, personal circumstances and the mitigating factors.

Counsel said Stewart recognises that he needs to break the cycle of offending and has signed up for drugs counselling while in custody.

Imposing sentence, Judge Orla Crowe said Stewart issued a “serious threat” at the home of someone he knew.

She said this was a one-off incident, and that Stewart left when the injured party told him. The judge added this would have been a “frightening experience” for the innocent injured party.

Judge Crowe noted that “to go and demand money and make threats of that nature is inherently lawless”.

She imposed a sentence of two years and three months, with the final nine months suspended for two years, to run consecutive to the sentence Stewart is currently serving.

The judge also directed Stewart to place himself under the supervision of the Probation Services for 12 months post-release.