A man was sentenced to six years in prison for setting fire to the crypt of St. Michan’s Church in Dublin, damaging mummified remains in the process, reports RTE.
At the sentencing hearing for 39-year-old Cristian Topiter, who had entered a guilty plea to arson, Archdeacon David Pierpoint called the fire in the church’s crypt “an act of desecration and sacrilege” in a victim impact statement.
Topiter made his appearance in Dublin Central Criminal Court via video connection, reports RTE.
‘The Crusader’ is one of the 800-year-old mummified remains in the St. Michan’s Church crypt, the court was told.
Prosecuting attorney Diana Stuart BL told the court that these remains were “priceless” and “irreplaceable”, reports RTE.
On June 11 of last year, Topiter entered a written guilty plea to an arson charge from the District Court.
The court was informed that Topiter, whose address is Grand Canal House, Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6, was previously convicted of arson in Northern Ireland, where a structure was damaged to the tune of €300,000.
In addition, he had prior convictions for common assault, burglary, theft, and narcotics possession, reports RTE.
According to Archdeacon Pierpoint, the mummified bones had been naturally maintained for hundreds of years, and the church received between €75,000 and €100,000 in money each year from the numerous visitors that came.
Since the fire, he claimed, there have been no tours, which has caused a “financial crisis” for the parish because the money is used to preserve the 1192-built church, reports RTE.
He also described the psychological and emotional toll it took on him and his parishioners.
He saw the incident as a loss for Dublin, the country, and the parish, reports RTE.
“The human remains in the vault are under our care. Making ensuring that these remains are passed along to future generations is both a pleasure and a responsibility.
He said that two of the mummies had been “burnt beyond recognition” and that additional mummies had been harmed by the water used to put out the fire, reports RTE.
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