Irishman arrested in Belgium after setting girlfriend on fire

An Irishman has been arrested in Belgium after he allegedly doused his girlfriend in petrol and set her on fire, leaving her in a coma with 80 percent burns to her body.

The victim jumped in a swimming pool in her back garden in an attempt to extinguish the flame before her grandmother, who lives nearby, came to her aid and called emergency services.

Belgian police and emergency services arrived at the scene and police offices detained the 33-year-old Donegal man, although reports state that he violently resisted arrest.

The Irish Sun reports that the man was drunk when police arrived at the scene.

Firefighters, meanwhile, came to the victim's aid after finding her badly burnt and lying in the pool.

The incident took place near the Belgian city of Antwerp and the woman was quickly transported to a hospital in nearby Leuven where she was placed in an induced coma.

Police found scorch mark's inside the couple's mobile home, indicating that the Irish suspect set fire to his girlfriend indoors. The mobile home escape severe damage and was still structurally sound when police arrived.

The Donegal suspect appeared before an Antwerp court on Friday, Sept. 4, and was remanded in custody until he appears in court again on Tuesday.

Prosecutors will decide on Tuesday whether the man must remain in custody throughout the duration of the investigation. They will also determine how the incident will be investigated and probed.

Very little is known about the identity of the Irish suspect detained in Antwerp, except for the fact that he comes from Donegal. Local news outlet Donegal Daily reports that the man is from Inishowen.