Onesie-wearing man who drank 18 cans of lager before setting landlady's porch on fire jailed

A man who set fire to his landlady’s porch after being locked out while dressed in a onesie following a day-long drunken row with his boyfriend, has been jailed. Enda Bohan, 35, who is originally from Galway, Ireland, but now lives in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, knocked back 18 cans of lager before rowing with his partner and then his landlady for several hours about the rent. When he was locked out by fed-up Amy Davies after going to a shop to buy a bottle of whisky to continue his binge, he threatened to burn down her house in a foul-mouthed tirade that lasted half an hour. In his anger he tried to throw a child's scooter through Miss Davies's front window, but was so drunk that he missed and ended up launching it at a neighbour's car. Bohan then carried out his threat of starting the fire, setting light to a pile of clothing that had been left outside to be collected by recyclers. Miss Davies became aware of the fire after hearing the terrified screams of her two children, aged seven and nine years.



A court heard that Miss Davies had phoned the police several times as the argument between Bohan and his boyfriend raged throughout the day, but they did not come to her home until he made the threats to burn down the house. Bohan was jailed after he admitted a charge of arson following the incident, which came after nearly 24 hours of drinking and arguing. The court heard that at around 8.15pm on November 6 Miss Davies had come home to find Bohan passed out through alcohol consumption. He awoke around two hours later and came downstairs, telling Miss Davies he had drunk 18 cans of Foster's lager. Nigel Ogborne, prosecuting, told the court: "Between 4 and 9am the following morning there was a considerable noise coming from the bedroom. It was an argument between this defendant and his partner. Miss Davies told the defendant to leave the property; he refused. She phoned the police on a number of occasions to get some help. The police did not attend." Mr Ogborne said Bohan continued to drink and argue with his boyfriend throughout the day, finally leaving the property dressed in a onesie at some point between 4 and 5pm to buy a bottle of Jack Daniel's whisky.

"It's at that stage the complainant took the opportunity to lock the front door, so that no-one could come back in," said Mr Ogborne. "Having locked the door, the defendant returned a short time after. He tried to get in but couldn't. He started banging on the door, shouting and swearing. Miss Davies said she was recording him on her phone and for a while he started knocking gently. His behaviour then escalated and he started shouting and swearing, saying 'are you crying to your mummy, you little bitch?' He said 'I'm going to burn down your house. Wait till tonight, you're not going to know what hit you'. The banging and swearing continued, lasting for about half an hour. At some point he disappeared." While Miss Davies phoned the police Bohan picked up a child's scooter from the front garden and tried to throw it through one of the windows. Mr Ogborne said: "He was so drunk it didn't in fact hit the window, it hit the next door neighbour's car." Police arrived at the house in Kennet Drive, Bletchley, after Bohan had gone. He returned once the officers had left and Miss Davies had gone upstairs to get changed. Mr Ogborne told the court: "Whilst upstairs she heard her children start screaming.



"She came downstairs and saw smoke and flames behind the door. She grabbed her children and ran out the back door. It was sticking and she ended up having to kick the back door before it opened." Firefighters dashed to the scene and found the fire had been started by Bohan setting light to a pile of old clothing, which Miss Davies had left outside to be collected for recycling. Bohan told police officers he remembered little about the events but said he had argued with his partner and Miss Davies about rent. Sophie O'Sullivan, defending Bohan, said: "He has notably struggled with alcoholism over a number of years. He has also been diagnosed with an emotional unstable personality disorder. The exhibiting behaviours from that condition are impulsive behavioural outbursts or explosive behaviours, which leant themselves to exactly the circumstances which took place on that day." Bohan pleaded guilty to arson and was jailed for two years and ten months at Aylesbury Crown Court. He was also made the subject of a restraining order against Miss Davies, which will last until further notice and told to pay a £120 victim surcharge. Judge Sheridan told Bohan that the restraining order was necessary: "Should you choose to wreak revenge, she will suffer further violence at your hands."