A Dublin man who admitted trying to set fire to his rented flat on Halloween night while a four-year-old relative was sleeping in one of the bedrooms is due to be sentenced today.

Father of three Peter Doyle pleaded guilty to five charges including arson at an apartment on Slieve Bloom Road in Drimnagh two years ago.

The court heard the incident happened after Peter Doyle had a run-in with a neighbour while out trick-or-treating with a four-year-old girl on Halloween night.

Gardaí were alerted and on arriving at his flat heard loud bangs, before witnessing flames coming from a lit aerosol canister.

They broke down the door and entered the smoke-filled apartment.

Peter Doyle emerged from the kitchen with a kettle and flung boiling water at gardaí which only managed to catch the top of their heads as they were carrying riot shields.

Gardaí extinguished two fires and found a girl asleep under bedclothes in a bedroom.

The father of three is to be sentenced today. He had been drinking. He had won €1,000 in a prize the previous day and had spent it on heroin.