Northern Ireland

Man charged with Holywood arson

Alleged arsonist Dennis Quee
Alleged arsonist Dennis Quee Alleged arsonist Dennis Quee

Police have yet to identify a motive for multiple arson attacks in Holywood, a court has heard.

Denis Quee (43) , from Beech End in Holywood, was charged with arson intending to endanger life, arson being reckless whether life would be endangered and two counts of arson intending to damage property on April 8 this year.

A police officer told Newtowards Magistrates Court heard that in the early hours of Thursday morning several bins on Church View were set alight.

While on Church Road a bin had been pushed against a fence adjacent to a garden shed which “contained petrol cans and other flammable items.”

CCTV footage from the area showed a male, stocky build, wearing a flag cap and walking a German Shepard dog which had a high visibility harness, enter the alleyway where the bins were set in fire.

“Police patrolled the area and found Mr Quee in an alleyway,” the officer told the court, adding that both he and the German Shepard dog with him “matched the description” of the male caught on the CCTV.

Quee accepted he was in the area walking his dog but claimed he couldn’t remember the route he had taken and denied that he was the male on the CCTV footage.

Deputy District Judge Philip Mateer asked if police had established a motive but the officer told him “that’s the concern” that there was none.

“At this moment in time, even with the early stages of the investigation, there’s no apparent obvious motive which raises police concerns even more that he may be a risk to the public,” she told the judge.

DJ Mateer refused bail and Quee was remanded into custody and the case adjourned to May 5.