Former Cork Airport Business Park employee set fire to vehicles, causing over €100k worth of damage

A 33-year-old man confessed to causing over €100,000 worth of arson damage to three vehicles parked at Cork Airport Business Park in June.

33-year-old Mateusz Stula of Orchard Court, Blackpool, Cork, signed pleas of guilty to the indictable crimes at Cork District Court.

On the application of Sergeant John Kelleher, Judge Mary Dorgan remanded the accused in custody for sentencing at Cork Circuit Criminal Court at the sessions commencing on October 28.

Defence solicitor Eddie Burke applied for free legal aid to include a barrister at the sentencing hearing and Judge Dorgan granted that application.

Detective Sergeant Davis previously outlined the background to the arsons. “The charges before the court are very serious," he said. 

"Mateusz Stula is charged with three counts of arson. It is alleged that on June 10 at approximately 1.15am he entered the grounds of Cork Airport Business Park where he set fire to three vehicles parked there.

“One of these vehicles was a Swissport Airline waste removal tanker which has an approximate value of €100,000.

“A second vehicle was privately owned and had been parked at the business park while the owner was abroad.

“A third vehicle was a privately owned animal transporter truck which had been dropped to the business park for repairs.

"The incidents of arson in this instance have been captured on CCTV footage."

Mr Burke, solicitor, said the accused had been in employment for the two months before the incident at a premises in the Cork Airport Business Park and that the incident before the court was not a matter of him going to the airport in order to carry out this damage. 

“For whatever reason he left his place of work and went to where these vehicles were,” Mr Burke said.