AN UNEMPLOYED man who claimed that 14 years ago he had slipped and fallen on a cream bun while he was detained at Shelton Abbey open prison, has lost a €38,000 damages claim in the Circuit Civil Court.
Patrick O’Grady (38), Kiltalown Green, Tallaght, Dublin, said that on December 10th, 1997, he had been climbing the stairs on his way back from the prison toilet.
He said he had been returning to his room in the low-security prison in Arklow, Co Wicklow, had suddenly lost his balance and had fallen backwards, landing on the floor and injuring his right ankle.
He was taken to hospital where X-rays revealed his ankle had been fractured. He had to wear a plaster for almost two months.
Mr O’Grady, who sued the Minister for Justice for damages, told Judge Jacqueline Linnane that after he fell, he noticed he had slipped on a cream bun which was on the stairs.
Judge Linnane said a number of people who had been using the stairs before the incident had no recollection of having seen a cream bun. She was not satisfied that the prison had been negligent and she dismissed Mr O’Grady’s claim.