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Deported arsonist who set famed St Michan's crypt ablaze involved in 'bizarre' theft, court hears
Summary
In a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court hearing on 30 June 2025, Cristian Topiter, aged 39, pleaded guilty to the theft of a mobile phone and a suitcase from a Ukrainian woman in Smithfield Square, two hours after he had set fire to St Michan's Church. The arson, for which he was jailed for six years in February, destroyed two mummified bodies, including an 800‑year‑old Crusader, and caused a financial crisis for the parish. The court heard that the stolen phone was never recovered, while the suitcase, found at Topiter's address, remained unopened. Topiter claimed no memory of the incident and offered apologies to the victim, who has since returned to Ukraine. Judge Pauline Codd, noting his trauma and progress in prison, imposed a one‑year term to run concurrently with his existing sentence for the arson, and declined to add any further time for the theft.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Deported arsonist who set famed St Michan's crypt ablaze involved in 'bizarre' theft, court hears. Charges or matters: committing the offence on June 11 last year; the theft of a mobile phone and suitcase from a Ukrainian woman, as she sat talking on her phone in nearby Smithfield Square just two hours after the St Michan's arson. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 11 Incident
- 2025-06-30 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: committing the offence on June 11 last year; the theft of a mobile phone and suitcase from a Ukrainian woman, as she sat talking on her phone in nearby Smithfield Square just two hours after the St Michan's arson (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Cristian Topiter (39) was jailed for six years in February for the arson, which Archdeacon David Pierpoint described at the time as "an act of desecration and sacrilege".
Convicted Person
Charges: committing the offence on June 11 last year; the theft of a mobile phone and suitcase from a Ukrainian woman, as she sat talking on her phone in nearby Smithfield Square just two hours after the St Michan's arson (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: Mr Clarke handed the court three certificates his client had attained in prison since being sentenced for the church arson.
Places mentioned
- Grand Canal House
- Lower Rathmines Road
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Smithfield Square
Topics
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