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Belfast Cathedral Quarter fire caused £3m in damage, court hears

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Fire at the old Cathedral Quarter buildingNorthern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service

A court has been told more than £3m worth of damage was caused during a blaze in Belfast on Monday.

The details were revealed when an 18-year-old man appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court.

He was charged in connection with the fire in the Old Cathedral building, which is home to a range of businesses, artists and groups.

Patrick Gough, from Victoria Street in the city, was charged with arson endangering life with intent.

Crews from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service spent about eleven hours at the scene of the blaze, which was reported shortly after 05:30 BST.

The court heard that damage was caused to buildings and contents at the Police Ombudsman's office and a number of commercial businesses, including Neighbourhood Cafe and Never Never clothes shop.

Many workers in the creative industry have lost property and their workspace as a result of the fire.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Blaze in Belfast's Cathedral QuarterNorthern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service

The defendant has also been charged with possessing cannabis and stealing three bottles of alcohol and a till containing cash from the 7 Spice Bangladeshi restaurant at nearby St Anne's Square.

A police witness told the court the defendant had 60 convictions and was in breach of bail at the time of the fire.

The witness also said the cost of the damage to the buildings and contents was expected to rise beyond £3m.

She said the defendant was arrested close to the scene of the fire after the police viewed CCTV footage which showed a man climbing down scaffolding at the Police Ombudsman's Office.

Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service An aerial view of the damage to the top of the roofNorthern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service

A defence lawyer said his client had been arrested because he was wearing clothes similar to the man observed on the scaffolding but there was no facial recognition.

The police witness also agreed with the defence that there was no forensic evidence linking Patrick Gough to the fire at this time but she said tests would be carried out on his clothing.

The defence lawyer said it would take a long time to determine if the fire was caused by arson and the defendant was therefore entitled to bail at an address provided by his father in Downpatrick.

After hearing submissions from the police and the defence, the judge refused bail.