Scumbag ONLY gets 25 years for burning down house with child inside it

A man has been jailed for 13 years for killing a five-year-old girl who died after he set fire to her house in Co Roscommon.
John Lynch, who has 17 previous convictions, including assault and possession of a shotgun, pleaded guilty to the three charges.

Mari Keane-Connolly (5) from Termon Road in Boyle died in the early hours of October 3rd last year.

Roscommon Circuit Court heard last week how Lynch set fire to the house in a bid to exact revenge on an uncle of the deceased child, John "Boy" Connolly, who he had found lying on a bed, fully clothed, with his girlfriend Anita O’Hara, following a house party on August 21st.
Lynch, who was described by Judge Anthony Hunt as being "violent, with an angry disposition", tried to assault Mr Connolly in a nightclub in Carrick-on-Shannon on October 2nd. The court heard Lynch had been celebrating his birthday with an alcohol and cocaine binge.
Lynch was still angry when he went home with Ms O’Hara and assaulted her, using a steel curtain pole to beat her, breaking her jaw and inflicting other injuries.
Lynch then drove to the house at Termon Road, which belonged to John Connoll's brother Richard.
John Connolly, who has been staying at the house, was not there and the front door had been left open for him. Lynch entered the house and set it on fire at about 2.30am.
Richard Connolly was asleep upstairs. His three daughters Lauren (8), Naomi (7) and Mari were staying with him as his ex-partner Teresa Keane was in hospital giving birth to twins that weekend.

The court heard how he managed to get the children out on to a roof but that he suffered serious spinal injuries when he jumped to the ground and landed on concrete steps.
He managed to persuade Lauren and Naomi to jump on top of him but Mari was too afraid and went back inside the house. The court was told that her body was found shortly after 5am.
Judge Hunt said that the child was conscious and aware of what was happening before she died in the fire. “The depths of terror in her final moments defy imagination,” he said.

He said the Connolly family would be mentally scarred for life and dismissed Lynch’s claim that he did not know anyone was in the house.
Judge Hunt said that Lynch’s actions were at the upper end of an unlawful killing charge and noted that previous sentences handed out to Lynch had no effect.
The judge said he could not impose the maximum 18-year sentence because of mitigation, which included a guilty plea and remorse.
He sentenced Lynch to 13 years on the manslaughter charge, eight years for causing serious harm to Richard Connolly and eight years for arson, with all three sentences to run concurrent, backdated to October 13th last year.
Abuse was shouted at Lynch as he was led away to start his sentence at Castlerea Prison.