Ireland Thomas Murphy remanded over arson of five cars on South Circular Road, Dublin
Thomas Murphy, 35, a father of five residing in a hostel on the South Circular Road, was remanded in custody at Dublin District Court on 13 December 2025 after being charged with five counts of criminal damage to vehicles following an arson attack in the early hours of 11 December 2025 that gutted five cars and caused an estimated €60,000 in damage. Judge Karen Dowling refused bail, citing public safety and possible witness intimidation, with no motive yet established by Gardaí.
- Reported11 Dec
- Arrested11 Dec
- Chargednot reported
- In court13 Dec
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports31 statements extracted from the articles
- whatCriminal damage by fire to vehicles occurred in the Dublin 8 area during the early hours of 11 December 2025. (garda.ie)
- whatDublin Fire Brigade was requested to assist. (garda.ie)
- whatAn additional fifth car parked adjacent to the fourth was damaged. (garda.ie)
- whatA number of vehicles were damaged by fire on the South Circular Road in Dublin 8 (irishtimes.com)
- whatGardaí suspect the man was intent on setting one vehicle on fire (irishtimes.com)
- whatOther cars parked beside the target vehicle were also destroyed when the fire spread (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe suspect appears to have set the fire alone (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe arson attack appears to have gone wrong and the damage caused was much bigger than intended (irishtimes.com)
- whatThomas Murphy was charged with five counts of criminal damage to vehicles. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe fire ignited a Nissan Micra and a Citroen 3, causing an estimated €60,000 in damage. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA second incident 100m away saw a Ford Focus set alight, causing significant damage to a Land Rover Discovery. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThree cars were on fire outside residences on the South Circular Road. (garda.ie)
- whereA fourth car was on fire on St Anne's Road, approximately 100 metres away. (garda.ie)
- whenGardaí responded to reports of three cars on fire at approximately 4:45am. (garda.ie)
- whenThe incident took place at about 4.45am on Thursday morning (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe arson occurred in the early hours of Thursday 11 December 2025. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe accused approached a Skoda Kamiq at 4:40am and set it on fire. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA man in his 30s was arrested in connection with the incident. (garda.ie)
- investigationThe man is detained at a Garda Station in the Dublin Metropolitan Region. (garda.ie)
- investigationKevin Street Garda Station is investigating the circumstances. (garda.ie)
- investigationThe Garda investigation has made significant progress, including the identification of a clear suspect (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí were searching for the suspect on Thursday (irishtimes.com)
- investigationThe accused turned up at Kevin Street Garda station after his hostel room had already been searched. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationA snuddie and a chocolate fountain box were seized from the accused's hostel room. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGarda Aiden Doyle said further charges may be proffered. (irishtimes.com)
- investigationGardaí have yet to establish a motive for the incident. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Karen Dowling refused bail and remanded the accused in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Wednesday. (irishtimes.com)
- courtLegal aid was granted to the accused. (irishtimes.com)
- otherNo injuries were reported. (garda.ie, irishtimes.com)
- otherThe suspect is well known to gardaí locally for involvement in high volume crime (irishtimes.com)
- otherThere appears to be no link between the attack and the nearby Dublin Mosque on South Circular Road (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 13 Dec2025Man accused of arson attack on Dublin cars with no apparent motive appears in court
Details the court proceedings, CCTV evidence, the two separate fire incidents, the chocolate fountain box and snuddie seized from the accused's hostel room, and the bail refusal.
accused, Thomas Murphy, 35, male, named, irish (judged from name)Thomas Murphy - 11 Dec2025Gardaí investigating suspected arson after cars damaged by fire in Dublin 8
Initial report of the arson; Gardaí identified a suspect well known locally for high volume crime, believed the attack went wrong and caused more damage than intended, and confirmed no link to the nearby Dublin Mosque.
suspect, male - 11 Dec2025Arrest: Criminal Damage, South Circular Road, Dublin 8, 11th December 2025
Reports the arrest of a man in his 30s on 12 December 2025 and provides details of the sequence of the fire: three cars on the South Circular Road, a fourth on St Anne's Road approximately 100 metres away, and a fifth damaged adjacent to the fourth.
suspect, 30s, male