A man who set a fire in the crypt of St Michan’s Church in Dublin, which caused damage to mummified remains, has been jailed for six years.
Archdeacon David Pierpoint described the fire as “an act of desecration and sacrilege” in a victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing of Cristian Topiter (39), who had pleaded guilty to arson.
Topiter appeared via video link at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday.
The court heard the crypt holds mummified remains including those of ‘the Crusader’, which date back 800 years. These remains were described to the court by prosecuting counsel Diana Stuart BL as “irreplaceable” and “priceless”.
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The court heard that Topiter of Grand Canal House, Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6, has a previous conviction for arson from Northern Ireland, in which €300,000 worth of damage was caused to a building. He also has previous convictions for possession of drugs, burglary, theft and common assault.
Archdeacon Pierpoint said the mummified remains had been preserved for hundreds of years by natural means and many tourists visited the church, providing annual revenues of between €75,000 to €100,000.
He said there have been no tours since the fire, which has resulted in a “financial crisis” for the parish as the funds go to maintaining the church, which was built in 1192.
He also outlined the emotional and mental impact on him and his parishioners, saying what had occurred was a loss not only for the church community but for Dublin and the nation.
“We are the custodians of the human remains in the crypt. We have the privilege and burden to ensure such remains are passed on to the generations to come,” he said.
Archdeacon Pierpoint said two of the mummies had been “burnt beyond recognition” while the water used to put out the fire had caused damage to others. He said this was “unavoidable” as the priority was to extinguish the fire.
He told the court the parish would seek approval from Dublin City Council to exhume the damaged remains and “have them reinterred into another vault which will be closed to everyone”.
Oisín Clarke BL, defending, said Topiter is remorseful, ashamed, embarrassed and recognises the impact of his actions.
He said Topiter has addiction issues and has limited recollection of the day in question as he had been drinking heavily and taking tablets. He said his client has long-standing mental health difficulties.
Mr Clarke said there was “no sinister motive” behind his client’s actions, or animosity towards the church, but it “just happened to be where he was at the time”.
Counsel noted his client’s similar past conviction, but said this offending is “very different”.
Topiter read a letter to the court in which he apologised to the court and to the Irish public for “jeopardising a national relic”. He said he took full responsibility for his actions and has been working to “create positive change” in his life while in custody.
Imposing sentence, Judge Martin Nolan described the offence as “very serious”. He said Topiter started the fire “for reasons only known to himself” and as a result, “ancient relics were damaged, if not destroyed”.
He said Topiter’s relevant previous conviction was an aggravating factor. He said it was “no great excuse” that Topiter was intoxicated at the time, noting that “for whatever reason when he’s insensible, he decides to start fires”.
“That seems to be a particular vice,” he added.
He said there was mitigation including Topiter’s signed guilty plea, his background and personal circumstances.
Judge Nolan backdated the six-year sentence to June 11th last, when Topiter went into custody.
