A man who set fire to one of the crypts at St Michan’s Church in Dublin, causing irreparable damage to priceless mummies, has been jailed for six years.
Cristian Topiter, of Grand Canal House, Rathmines Road, Dublin, said he had no memory of setting the fire, and offered no explanation as to why he did it.
Through his victim impact statement today, Archdeacon David Pierpoint told Judge Martin Nolan the relics attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors.
He said the visits brought in up to €100,000 per year, which is now lost, and was used to maintain St Michan’s Church – an Anglican Church built in 1192.
Among the mummified bodies either damaged or destroyed by the fire started by Cristian Topiter last summer was ‘The Crusader,’ which dated back over 800 years.
The crypt at St. Michan's Church in Dublin, Ireland. 19/10/2018 Image: Wishbone Factory / Stockimo / Alamy Stock PhotoDefence barrister, Oisín Clarke BL, said there was no sinister motive behind what his client did.
He said he was remorseful and embarrassed about it.
Topiter read a letter to the court to apologise to the people of Ireland for “jeopardising a national relic".
In sentencing him to six years in prison, Judge Martin Nolan also noted a previous conviction for arson of the old Belfast Telegraph building in Northern Ireland.
Main image: Gardaí seal off St Michan's Crypt in February 2019 | Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
