A Dublin drug dealer who set fire to a man after being sold coconut cream instead of crack cocaine was jailed for 18 years by a London court yesterday.
Michael Fogarty (36), of Clondalkin, Dublin, was convicted of attempted murder. He received a concurrent 10year sentence for wounding. Fogarty's friend, Ms Ann Lismore (36), of Smithfield Terrace, Dublin, was cleared of attempted murder.
Fogarty poured petrol over Mr Danny Lindo from Brixton, south London and set fire to him because he blamed him for cheating him out of cocaine, the Old Bailey heard.
Mr Lindo (37) suffered 75 per cent burns and is confined to a wheelchair. Police had initially treated the Brixton attack, which occurred in February, as a possible racial attack.
Mr Lindo told the court he introduced Fogarty to a man after he said he wanted to buy drugs. But the man had sold him coconut cream for £5,000 and Fogarty believed Mr Lindo was involved.
Mr Lindo said Fogarty returned next day and poured petrol over him.
Judge Michael Coombe told Fogarty: "This was an extremely wicked case, as bad as one could imagine. You deliberately doused Mr Lindo in petrol and set him alight. It was a miracle he lived to tell the tale."