A Waterford man has been jailed for two and a half years for arson and burglary at Waterford Institute of Technology's (now SETU) campus in 2020.
Barry Morrissey of Roanmore Park in Waterford city is understood to have committed arson after a position he applied for at the now Technological University had stalled due to a delay in the Garda vetting process.
The Waterford News & Star reports that in May 2020 Mr Morrissey gained entry to a SETU Waterford campus building by smashing a window. He then proceeded to cover a CCTV camera with a plastic bag before igniting a blaze which caused damages totalling €474,000. A staff member had also noticed that a safe key and €200 in cash had disappeared.
Some days later, Morrissey broke into the campus building for a second time in an attempt to destroy CCTV footage from the night in question.
Gardaí later arrested Morrissey after which he admitted to the two break-ins but not the arson. The court heard that it was not until September 21st 2021 that the former security guard presented himself to Gardaí and admitted to setting fire to the campus building.
Mr Morrissey has since written letters of apology to both former WIT President Professor Willie Donnelly and the wider campus staff.
Presiding Judge Eugene O'Kelly sentenced Mr Morrissey to four years, with the last 18 months suspended in recognition of the positive steps he had taken prior to the hearing.
The full story is available to read on this week's Waterford News & Star
