A MAN WHO committed an arson attack on one home and recklessly fired a handgun at another house two days later during a feud between crime gangs has been jailed for seven years and three months.

Daryl Smith (22) was captured on CCTV with a hammer and petrol can at the front of a house at about 11pm on the night in question.

He broke a window, poured petrol inside and set it alight, fleeing the scene with the house ablaze.

Judge Martin Nolan noted it was not known if Smith was aware the house was unoccupied at the time.

A co-accused, Jordan Domican (24), was sentenced earlier this year to seven and a half years’ imprisonment for facilitating a criminal organisation in relation to the same incidents.

Domican was described during his sentencing as a “trusted lieutenant” in an organised crime gang.

Smith, who was not on the garda radar, was in a relationship with Domican’s sister at the time.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that much of the evidence against Smith was found in messages, videos and pictures on his own phone, including videos of the firearms and wads of cash.

Daryl Smith (AKA Noonan) of Carnlough Road, Cabra, pleaded guilty to arson on 9 May, 2024, as well as possession of a firearm and reckless discharge of a firearm on 11 May, 2024.

The court heard Smith’s own home was subsequently the subject of an arson attack.

Passing sentence today, Judge Nolan said the crimes were committed in the context of a feud between two rival gangs.

Judge Nolan said on one occasion, Smith set a house alight and nearly set himself alight as well.

He said he did not know if Smith knew whether there was someone in the house or not.

He said on the other occasion, he arrived on a bike with a handgun which he discharged in a very reckless way.

The judge said there was lots of information on Smith’s phone which incriminated him.

Judge Nolan noted Smith was quite young when he committed the offences, as well as being immature and having a difficult background.

He noted his co-accused, Domican, probably had more power within the organisation than him, but said Smith’s misbehaviour was very serious.

Judge Nolan set a headline sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment, before taking into account Smith’s guilty pleas, his youth, the hope for rehabilitation and “his stupidity to some degree”.

He imposed a seven year and three-month sentence, with credit for any time spent in custody.

An investigating garda told Grainne O’Neill BL, prosecuting, that these offences arose in a feud between two organised crime groups.

The court heard Domican was the most seriously involved and that gardai were not aware of Smith. It is believed he became involved as he was in a relationship with Domican’s sister at the time.

The garda said the arson attack occurred at a home associated with a rival gang member and was unoccupied at the time. It is believed it was in retaliation for an earlier attack.

The car used in the attack was later found abandoned and it was seized by gardai.

Two days later two men, one of whom was Smith, arrived on motor bike to an address in Clondalkin and a handgun was recklessly discharged by Smith before the men left again on the bike.

The person gardai believed to be the intended target was in the garden of the house, with other people nearby including a man walking his dog.

The garda agreed with Judge Nolan that the purpose of the shooting had been intimidation.

Domican’s sentencing heard that his role had been to procure the car and the bike used in these offences.

Smith was arrested and interviewed seven times, but nothing of evidential value emerged.

Both injured parties were aware of their right to give victim impact statements but did not wish to do so.

Michael O’Higgins SC, defending, outlined traumatic events in his client’s background, including multiple bereavements.

He said Smith began using drugs from a young age and fell into a depression.

Mr O’Higgins handed in a psychological report outlining his client was very immature, naïve and had low intellectual functioning.

Smith’s prior convictions are all at district court level.

He outlined his client, a father of one, was doing well in custody being drug free, with structure and routine.

He submitted that the offences had been committed in a joint enterprise, with his client doing “the dirty work.”

He said as a younger person who was not integrated into the criminal organisation, Smith was a little less morally culpable.

He submitted that his client’s sentence should be marginally less than Domican’s.

Counsel said Smith’s own home had suffered an arson attack in retaliation while people were inside and if he had been in any doubt about the trauma of such an attack, it had landed on his own doorstep.