Inmate attacks warders with CS gas
A Belgian prisoner attacked wardens with a suspected CS gas spray while trying to escape from custody at a Dublin hospital, the Prison Service confirmed tonight.
The inmate, who is on remand at Cloverhill Prison awaiting trial on drugs possession charges, was taken to Tallaght Hospital after complaining of chest pains.
He asked to use a shower but returned with what is believed to be a CS-gas cannister and sprayed it into the faces of prison officers who were guarding him.
The three-man escort team managed to restrain the man but it is understood a number of other people may have been struck by the spray in the ensuing melee.
Twelve people were later treated for the effects of exposure to the CS gas.
Six of those were patients of the hospital, while a further five were relatives or friends who were visiting patients.
One prison officer was also being treated.
Gardaí and the Prison Service launched two separate investigations to try to determine how the inmate managed to attain the gas cannister.
