Tyrone man 'set his mother's arm alight'

A man allegedly set his mother's arm on fire after she refused to take him to get food, the High Court has heard.

Francis Devine, 19, is accused of lighting her petrol-soaked arm as she tried to stop an attempted arson attack on her partner's van.

The woman suffered serious burns during the incident, the prosecution said.

Mr Devine, of Coney Park, Coalisland, is accused of grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and attempted arson.

Bail was refused after a judge decided a proposed address in Pomeroy was not far enough away from the alleged victim.

The court heard Mr Devine's mother informed police he had assaulted her on 28 June.

Kate McKay, prosecuting, said: "She said he was in a rage after she refused to take him into town to get food.

"He went into the garden, got a can of petrol and began to pour it over his mother's partner's van.

"In an attempt to stop him, his mother got petrol on her arm. Despite this, the applicant lit the petrol and his mother's arm was burned."

Mr Devine said he had no memory of the alleged arson attempt but admitted to having a bad temper, Mrs McKay said.

She confirmed his mother has since made a withdrawal statement, but is still expected to be summonsed as a witness.

Defence counsel Michael Boyd acknowledged the case had a "fairly depressing and bleak" background.

He argued that Devine had gone back to live with his mother for four weeks, in breach of a previous court order, without any further incident.

"He missed his mother and she appears to have missed him as well," he told the court.