A TEENAGE arsonist who smuggled a syringe into St Patrick's Institution after a court appearance was refused early release yesterday.
A prison officer was pricked on the finger by the syringe as he searched the jeans worn by Shane Byrne during a review hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on November 4th.
Byrne (18), of Cushlawn Park, Tallaght admitted to the governor of the detention centre that he had been passed the syringe in court to hand it to another detainee.
Refusing to review Byrne's total sentence of 4 1/2 years, Judge Cyril Kelly said that every day the court was faced by young people seeking to avail of the facilities in prisons for drug treatment.
"Somebody who tries to smuggle a syringe into a prison or detention centre gets no sympathy from this court," said Judge Kelly.
Byrne (18) is serving his sentence in St Patrick's for causing £200,000 damage by gas explosion to a disused supermarket in Tallaght on May 8th, 1994, and a second offence of causing criminal damage by fire to Killinarden Community School on October 22nd 1994.
He was given a three year sentence for the supermarket explosion in May 1995 and a concurrent 4 1/2 years' term for the school fire last December.
When he appeared yesterday, Judge Kelly told Mr Laurence Wyer, defending, that he had received a letter from the governor of St Patrick's Institution outlining the jeans incident and the defendant's admission.
Byrne's sentences were initially due for review last week but his case was adjourned for one week. He was secretly given the syringe as he attended this hearing.
The governor said Byrne went to the St Patrick's reception area claiming he wanted "to try on" a pair of jeans. Before he was allowed to put them on, the officer searched the pockets and wash pricked by the syringe.
Following a short adjournment, Mr Wyer said Byrne had agreed with the details of the governor's letter. Counsel noted that before this all the reports on Byrne had been most positive and he asked that, despite this breach, "some light" be left his client.