Charlotte Mulhall seeks transfer from Limerick prison to Dublin

A judge will rule later on an application by convicted murderer Charlotte Mulhall for permission to bring a case aimed at securing her transfer from Limerick Prison back to the Dochas Centre women’s prison in Dublin.

Mulhall claims she was transferred to Limerick from the Dochas Centre on Christmas Eve 2018, two days after she was seen by a prison officer sitting on a female prison officer while performing a beauty treatment.

She disputes claims anything inappropriate occurred and that she was in a compromising position with the female officer.

She also says she has never been given the opportunity to address the prison authorities over what she says actually occurred.

Her Dublin-based family, for a variety of reasons, have not visited her since she was moved to Limerick, she says.

The lack of visits has caused “great stress and upset” to her and her family members.

In a sworn statement to the court, she said she is “lonely and sad” due to “the lack of visits from my family”.

“I miss my dog who was part of canine programme I was undertaking prior to my transfer, “ she said.

She has brought judicial review proceedings against the Irish Prison Service, the Governor of Limerick Prison, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Ireland and the Attorney General, seeking a return to the Dochas Centre.

The court previously directed her application for permission to bring the challenge should be heard on notice to the state respondents.

Represented by Conor Power SC and Cian Kelly BL, Mulhall seeks various orders including directing the respondents to return her to Dublin and quashing the decision to transfer her to Limerick.

The respondents, represented by Anne Marie Lawlor SC, oppose the application on grounds including it is out of time.

The prison service said it is entitled to make the transfer and claims Mulhall had told the prison authorities she was happy in Limerick.

When the matter came before Mr Justice Anthony Barr on Tuesday, he, following the conclusion of submissions from both sides reserved his decision.

In her sworn statement Mulhall claims she was not fully sure why she had been transferred to Limerick, where she enjoys enhanced or trusted prisoner status.

The court heard that it was not until June 2020, following a Freedom of Information request, she got information why she had been transferred to Limerick.

In the information, the Irish Prison Service said Mulhall had been found “in a very compromising position with a prison officer” and the interaction between Mulhall and the female officer “has been the focus of media attention previously”.

The information alleged Mulhall was “involved in a number of high-profile liaisons while in Dochas,” which “received significant media coverage including adverse comment and that she should be transferred to Limerick “until further notice.”

Mulhall disputes these claims and says, had she been afforded an opportunity to address the situation, “which I was not, I would have told the governor exactly what happened and this transfer could have been avoided.”

She claims, if she was moved as a punishment, she would have been entitled to a hearing under prison disciplinary regulations. No such hearing took place.

Charlotte, and her sister Linda, were convicted in 2006 of the killing of their mother’s boyfriend Farah Swaleh Noor in March 2005.

The dismembered body of Noor, who had a history of being extremely violent towards women, was found dumped in the Royal Canal, near Croke Park, some days afterwards.

Following a trial at the Central Criminal Court, Charlotte, aged 21 years at the time of the killing, was found guilty of murder.

Linda was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison. She has been released from custody.