A man who told police “I don’t like gays” after burning down a bar popular with the LGBT community was jailed yesterday.
Sebastian Prokop was sentenced to five years at Derry Crown Court, sitting in Coleraine, for the arson attack at Envy Nightclub in Derry just over two years ago.
The 24-year-old, from Crawford Square in the city, now faces deportation from Northern Ireland to his native Poland following his prison release. Half his five year sentence will be served with the other half on licence.
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Prokop was found unanimously guilty by a jury on June 14 of burning down the Envy Nightclub on Strand Road in the early hours of January, 2020. He was recorded on CCTV cameras climbing an external stairway and entering the third storey of the building. Minutes later he was recorded descending the same stairway and walking away minutes before the building went on fire.
He discarded a cap which was recovered by the police close to the nightclub and following a forensic examination his full DNA was found on the cap.
Prokop, who told the court that he was “a homosexual-sexual”, did not give evidence at his trial in June. As a result of the arson attack damage estimated at £250,000 was caused to the building which has since been demolished.
At the sentencing hearing a prosecution barrister told Judge Philip Gilpin that “there is a clear inference of hostility towards the patrons who would have used the Envy Nightclub”.
The barrister added: “The effect this has had on the community, the complete destruction of the nightclub, the economic value of the property which was destroyed, the evidence is that the fire was deliberately started.”
Defence barrister Sean Doherty said there was no evidence that Prokop, who moved to Derry in 2018, was hostile to members of the LGBT community nor was he aware that the nightclub was an LGBT nightclub.
However when Prokop went into the witness box during the sentencing hearing he told Judge Gilpin that he had “planned it because it’s a homosexual-sexual club and I am a homosexual-sexual person”. He said he set fire to bins on the third storey with a lighter.
Mr Doherty then said “what he’s telling the court now is contrary to his instructions to me earlier today”.
Judge Gilpin said he was satisfied, based on Prokop’s evidence, that the arson attack was premeditated and was also an act of hostility towards the LGBT community.
Judge Gilpin said following his arrest Prokop told the police “I don’t like gays”.
He said the arson involved a degree of planning and premeditation.
“Having heard from the police during your trial and now from you this morning I am satisfied that this element of hostility was present and is to be considered an aggravating feature”, he said.
Detectives at Strand Road in Derry welcomed the sentence.
Detective Inspector Stephanie Finlay from Strand Road Criminal Investigation Branch said: “Prokop’s action were callous and senseless, and caused significant harm. However, we hope the sentence, at least on some level, brings some degree of justice for the victim.
“Thanks to our dedicated team of detectives in this investigation, their hard work meant we were able to bring the offender before the court. Today’s court outcome should send a strong message that we will pursue offenders and work tirelessly to bring them before the court.”
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