Man (74) set fire to his Waterford hospital bed
The 74-year-old man set fire to his bed sheet in University Hospital Waterford.
A 74-year-old man set fire to his bedsheet while an in-patient at University Hospital Waterford.
Peter Sinnott, of no fixed abode, set fire to both his bedsheet and chair in a bid to escape the hospital on January 24, 2025.
Sinnott was charged with criminal damage contrary to Section 2 (1) and (14) of the Criminal Damage Act.
He recently appeared before Judge John Cheatle at Waterford District Court.
Sergeant Michael Hickey informed the court that the accused had been taken into the hospital as an in-patient. At 7.20pm, on January 24, staff were called to his room after the chair and sheet were set ablaze. Sinnott tried to abscond from the facilities during the commotion.
Solicitor Ken Cunningham told Judge Cheatle his client was in a paranoid state at the time of the offence and has past struggles with his mental health. According to Mr. Cunningham, he set the fires because he thought it was "the only way" of getting out of the room.
The court heard Sinnott has 94 previous convictions, but the last offence occurred in 2011.
Judge Cheatle imposed Section 1.1 of the Probation Act, whereby the matter was disposed of without a conviction.
