Third Assault in Mountjoy Prison leads to Death of Inmate

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Tuesday August 01, 2006 20:07

by Chris Murray - The Unmanageables

Serious Assaults in Mountjoy.

Last week a non-national was stabbed in the eye in Mountjoy Prison.
There was some media coverage which stated that his injuries were
not life-threatening. He had been stabbed and beaten.

He had been incarcerated for the murder of his wife 24 hours before the incident.

Early this morning, the death of paul Douch took place in the lower wing of the jail.
He had requested to be moved into the protective wing twenty four hours before his
death. There appear to be three separate inquiries into his death.

Minister Mc Dowell has said he regretted the death and will investigate.
On the 22nd of May 2006, there was a serious knife attack on a 22 year old inmate.
Little detail is available as to the circumstances of this attack. That brings to
three reported incidents of assault causing actual bodily harm and death in the
state prison services in as many months.

Mountjoy is due to be sold and the inmates are to be moved as part of the
Dept of justice rationalisation /centralisation of he services.

One proposed site for a new State of the Art prison is at Thornton Hall
which is subject to planning dispute with the local community and
inquiry into the costing price of the lands.

The inmate who was moved to protective custody at his own request, was placed in a cell
(apparently with the men who murdered him). One man has been charged with a crime
related to the incident.