A former prisoner has been jailed for eight years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for his participation in a "hell-like" two-day siege where five prison officers were held hostage at Mountjoy Prison almost 10 years ago.
Joseph Cooper (33), Mountain View Park, Rathfarnham, pleaded guilty to false imprisonment of the men in January 1997.
Erwan Mill-Arden SC, defending, told the court that his client had since married and was now a different man who lived a virtuous life. "If ever a person has managed to mature and leave behind a dark and evil life, my client has done it."
Mr Mill-Arden told Judge Delahunt that his client was "truly and deeply remorseful" and had no further interest in crime. He was 24-years-old at the time and was a "violent and foolish criminal but will never be again".
However, Judge Katherine Delahunt said the prison officers were going about their lawful duties on behalf of the State and were put in "significant fear, intimidation and trauma" and subjected to "a hell-like experience".
Cooper was the last of the six prisoners to come before the courts for the offence.
Stephen Galvin, Paul Ward, Éamon Seery, Warren Dumbrell and Edward Ferncombe were jailed for six, 10, two, 10 and six years respectively at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in 1999 and 2000.
Three of the prison officers have left the service, while the other two still work but have no contact with the prisoners.
Cooper was then serving five years in Mountjoy's high-security unit for false imprisonment. The officers were held in the recreational hall for 53 hours and threatened with various makeshift weapons, including syringes which they claimed held blood infected with the HIV virus. One officer was released after 30 minutes.
The judge said she accepted that the men were initially planning to stage a roof protest but she could not understand why they were armed with weapons if this protest was first planned as peaceful, as suggested. She was satisfied that the regret expressed by Cooper was genuine and that he was now a family man.
Supt Hubert Collins told Karen O'Connor, prosecuting, that Cooper absconded bail while awaiting trial in early 1999 and fled to Manchester. He was brought back to Ireland last September following an extradition warrant.
He had come to the attention of the authorities there after he was convicted of an affray and jailed for six months. Supt Collins told the court that it was "a reasonably serious assault" but the victim did not want to pursue the case.
Supt Collins said the prisoners had originally intended to get up on the roof of the prison where they were to hold a "peaceful protest", but they soon realised that the suspended ceiling they thought would be easy to get through was covered by a cement ceiling and they would not be able to make it up.
Cooper searched the prison officers and he was described as one of the most volatile of the prisoners. They told them that if their demands were not met they would "smash their heads in" and "stick them with the blood-filled syringes".
The demands included a meeting with the governor, their solicitors, the relevant minister and Joe Costelloe TD, and guaranteed transfers to other prisons.
They received food during that time and the prisoners continually monitored the news and requested newspapers.
Supt Collins agreed with Mr Mill-Arden that Cooper was not in charge of the operation, but he would have described him as being at the top of the chain. He agreed to send on Cooper's sincerest apologies to the prison officers.