A man has appeared in court charged with causing more than €100,000 of damage after he allegedly set fire to vehicles at Cork Airport Business Park.
Mateusz Stula (32), of Orchard Road in Blackpool, Cork city, appeared before Cork District Court on Thursday accused of three counts of arson.
Sergeant John Kelleher said forensic analysis was ongoing in relation to the incidence of arson at the business park this summer. A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Eddie Burke, defending, said his client – who appeared by video link – consented to a two- or four-week adjournment of the case.
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Judge John King further remanded Mr Stula to appear before Cork District Court via video link on September 3rd.
It is alleged that Mr Stula entered the grounds of Cork Airport Business Park shortly after 1am on June 10th and set fire to three vehicles parked there.
A Swissport Airline waste removal tanker was valued at €100,000. A second vehicle was privately owned and had been parked at the business park while the owner was out of the country.
A third vehicle was a privately owned animal transporter truck which had been dropped to the business park for repairs.
Detective Sgt Pat Lyons previously objected to the granting of bail in the case, citing the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the evidence against the accused. CCTV footage was checked in the aftermath of the incident.
Mr Burke previously told the court his client was drinking alcohol while on prescribed medication and required inpatient treatment.
He said Mr Stula had worked at a premises in the airport business park before the incident.
Mr Burke said the matter before the court was not a case of Mr Stula going to the airport to carry out this damage.
“For whatever reason, he left his place of work and went to where these vehicles were,” he said.
