A prisoner who allegedly burgled a series of houses when he failed to return to Mountjoy after temporary release was granted release again within days of being re-arrested, a Dublin TD has claimed. Marie O'Halloran reports.
Mr Tony Gregory (Ind, Dublin Central) told the Dáil that the Minister for Justice had said he had got rid of the "revolving door system" in prisons.
"It seems that the door is revolving faster than ever," he said.
Minister of State Mr Brian Lenihan said, however, that the Minister for Justice had sought urgent reports from the Garda and prison authorities. He said the man had not yet been convicted and the courts did not remand him in custody when he was charged with the offences earlier this month.
The deputy said that after a series of burglaries in the Clonliffe area of Dublin, gardaí arrested the man they believed responsible and he was held in Mountjoy.
Mr Gregory said it emerged later that the arrested man had been "unlawfully at large" when he committed the burglaries. "I was astounded to hear that within days of being put back in Mountjoy Prison he was again granted temporary release."
He said there appeared to be "no communication whatever" between the gardaí and the prison authorities.
"The affair seems almost laughable but for its seriousness. The Garda attitude now is that this individual is out and nothing can be done about it until he comes to trial, whenever that might be."
Mr Lenihan said prisoners on temporary release now represented only 7 per cent of the prison population. He said that when the man concerned was re-arrested his release date was recalculated, and when an application was re-submitted for temporary release on October 6th, he had two weeks left to serve and was granted full temporary release.