A 33-year-old woman from Larne has received a suspended prison sentence for pushing a lit firework through the letterbox of a home, causing damage inside.

Laura Knox, of Curran Road, was sentenced at Ballymena Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to criminal damage.

The court heard that shortly before 6am on 26 November 2022, a woman discovered a smoke-like device had been put through her door. It was later determined that a lit firework had detonated in her hallway, damaging walls and skirting boards.

A male accomplice, who has already been dealt with by the courts, received 200 hours of community service for his role. Prosecutors said the pair had been captured on CCTV walking toward the property with a dog, the man carrying what appeared to be a firework rocket.

A selfie taken on the defendants’ phones at 5.50am that morning was shown to the court, bearing the caption ‘Late night strolls.’ Knox’s clothing and the dog in the image matched those seen in the footage. A text message sent from Knox’s phone at 6.26am read: ‘Was it you I got the fireworks off?’

The victim contacted Knox via Snapchat to accuse her, and the court was told there was an existing history between the parties.

The case faced significant delays. A prosecution file was received from police in September 2023 but was not assigned to a lawyer until August 2024; a decision to prosecute was not finalised until January this year. District Judge Nigel Broderick questioned the length of time taken.

The court also heard that the victim had sought a restraining order, claiming there had been subsequent online posts and that Knox had contacted her employer to make unfounded allegations. However, no evidence of such contact was presented, and the application was withdrawn. The Housing Executive had been asked to provide details of repair costs, but did not respond.

Judge Broderick described the offence as a serious attack on a home, where people should feel safe. Knox was sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for one year.