Regarding Monday night’s fire at the crypt of St. Michan’s Church of Ireland in Dublin, a 38-year-old man showed up in court, reports RTE.
Christian Topiter, whose addresses are Grand Canal House, Lower Rathmines Road, and O’Shea’s Hostel Merchant’s Quay, is accused of criminally damaging Archdeacon David Pierpoint’s mummified remains in St. Michael’s Church.
The court was informed that Mr. Topiter was apprehended yesterday near the church following his identification on CCTV behind a closed gate within the premises, reports RTE.
He was placed on remand with permission to post bail and is scheduled to appear via video link in Cloverhill District Court the following week.
Because of the severity of the alleged offence, the Gardaí had objected to the bail.
Police “Priceless historical artefacts of national importance” had suffered irreversible harm, James Kenny informed the court, reports RTE.
If found guilty by a higher court, he said the maximum term for the offence was 10 years in prison.
The accused individual had acted “erratically and aggressively” while in custody, according to Gda Kenny. He further stated that gardaí were still investigating and were “not 100% satisfied” with his identification.
John Shanley, the defence attorney, countered that the court was not presented with any evidence to bolster the garda objections to bail, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.