Jurisdiction has been accepted in the case of a man accused of starting a fire in his room at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) last year.
Peter Sinnott (73) of no fixed abode, appeared before Judge Kevin Staunton at a sitting of Waterford District Court this month, charged with allegedly damaging property by fire, contrary to Section 2 (1) and (4) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991. This related to an alleged incident in January 2025.
Sergeant John Phelan outlined that on 24 January 2025, Gardaí received a report from UHW that a man, identified as the accused, had allegedly set fire to a hospital room, and caused damage to a bed-sheet and a chair.
The Sergeant added that the fire allegedly caused smoke damage to nearby rooms, at an estimated total cost of €600.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said that the accused has “acute underlying issues” and was an in-patient in the hospital at the time of the alleged offence.
Judge Staunton decided to accept jurisdiction in the case, and put the matter back to 19 May 2026, for a plea to be indicated.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
