A "passionate environmentalist" who caused damage totalling €3 million in an arson attack on the Irish headquarters of the Jesuit order has had his sentence adjourned.
Noah Bunn (26), a former clerical employee of the Jesuits and member of environmental group Friends of the Earth, set the fire on Good Friday last because he believed the order was not using its "moral authority" to alert the world to the dangers of climate change.
Bunn, from Northampton, England, pleaded guilty to arson at Eglinton Road, Donnybrook, on April 6th, 2007.
Judge Katherine Delahunt adjourned his sentence to allow a psychiatric report be prepared.
Garda Brian Flannery told Seán Gillane, prosecuting, that after extinguishing the fire at the building, Dublin Fire Brigade alerted gardaí to suspicions that the fire had been started deliberately. Gardaí carried out a technical examination of the scene and spoke to the sole resident, a Korean priest, who told them he had observed Bunn deliberately set the fire.
Garda Flannery said Bunn, who had moved to Ireland from England, was working for a recruitment agency filling clerical roles around Dublin.
He was observed on CCTV buying petrol and a lighter near the house before the incident.
Bunn didn't return afterwards to the Dublin hostel where he was staying but handed himself in several days later to Mill Street Garda station in Galway and admitted setting the fire.
Garda Flannery said Bunn told gardaí the idea came to him when he was drunk.
He said he bought a knife, cigarette lighter and two containers of petrol on his way to the house where he let himself in with his key and poured petrol over furniture in several rooms.
He called out to see if there was anybody in the house and told the Korean priest that he planned to burn it down.
He said he shouted at the priest to get out and pointed to his knife which was stuck under his belt to let him know he would not be stopped.
Garda Flannery said Bunn, who had no previous convictions, had caused damage totalling €3,042,000. He agreed with defence counsel Martin Giblin SC that Bunn had fully co-operated with gardaí after handing himself in and had never applied for bail.
Mr Giblin said Bunn was a "passionate environmentalist who was overly concerned at the time with climate change".
His only explanation was that he had been drinking and formed the idea that "the Jesuits were not using their moral authority to alert the world sufficiently to the dangers of climate change".
He said this was no longer Bunn's view and he had given an undertaking that he would never commit an offence again no matter how strongly he felt about an issue. Mr Giblin said Bunn had suffered from depression and substance abuse problems. He held a law degree from the University of Wales and came from a law-abiding family who were deeply upset at the events.