A female prison officer was brutally attacked and left with life-changing injuries in the Criminal Courts of Justice, it has emerged.
The Dochas Centre warder suffered facial injuries in the gruesome assault – which came just days before another warder was assaulted by a convicted murderer in an escape bid.
Sources say the young staff member was attacked by a female prisoner on remand in the CCJ last week. She is now on sick leave awaiting medical treatment for her eye.
An Irish Prison Service said it did “not comment on individual prisoner cases,” but added “any act of violence against a prison officer is unacceptable”.
Sources described the assault as serious and comes just days before an equally frightening shiv attack inside a prison van on Monday.
Prison authorities have launched an internal investigation after the officer was stabbed in the face by killer Graham McEvoy – as he attempted to escape. Separate from the garda probe, the Irish Prison Service is now understood to be investigating how he managed to smuggle the improvised weapon into the van while on a visit to a healthcare facility on Monday.
Sources said McEvoy produced the shiv and brutally attacked the prison officer who, with the help of a colleague, managed to subdue the killer.
The injured warder was discharged from hospital yesterday and is now understood to be recovering at home. Irish Prison Service bosses are understood to now be examining if all proper protocols were followed in moving McEvoy.
In 2017 he was jailed for life for the brutal stabbing of 23-year-old Paul Curran in a flat in Dublin the year before.
McEvoy admittted manslaughter but was found guilty of murder after a week-long trial.
Described as a low-level drug dealer, he stabbed Mr Curran at least six times. During Garda interviews, McEvoy described Mr Curran as his “best friend”, but the victim’s mother dismissed this.
Serial offender McEvoy has 22 previous convictions for drugs, attempted robbery and motoring offences.
Defence counsel Barry White told the court his client had a troubled childhood and finished school at 14.
He was living a chaotic lifestyle and had a drug problem. After the verdict, McEvoy told his family: “Don’t worry, it’s only a few more years.”
Mr White said this was not bravado. His client’s family was “extremely distressed” and he was trying to ease their distress.
The trial heard from Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan who testified the largest wound to his torso was 9cm or 10cm deep and caused his lung to collapse, which proved fatal.
Read next:
Detector dog sniffs out haul of 540,000 cigarettes at Dublin Port
Dublin homeowner describes 'big bang' moment that lightning struck chimney
Bob Geldof says he wouldn't take Late Late Show gig even if he was paid €1m
Lightning blasts chimney off Dublin home during thunderstorms
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
