Murder trial hears of victim's disciplinary record at prisons
A murder trial has heard that the victim, who died while an inmate in Mountjoy Prison, had a poor disciplinary record at a number of prisons throughout the state.
The Central Criminal Court jury also heard that the accused told gardaí that the manslaughter convict had been bullying him before the fight in which he died.
It was the second day of the trial of a 29-year-old Dublin prisoner accused of murdering Derek Glennon (aged 24) on June 25, 2007.
Declan O’Reilly of Parnell Road, Crumlin in Dublin has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Glennon, who was serving five years for manslaughter.
The defence gave the jury copies of Derek Glennon’s P19 records, which detailed his offences within the prison system from January 2003 until the month before he died.
John Farrell, who was chief officer at the time, confirmed the offences.
They ranged from assaults on other prisoners and threatening staff to escaping from custody and throwing the contents of his chamber pot at a wall.
He was also found with a knife, a metal bar, a sharpened radio aerial, drugs and was frequently found with mobile phones. He was caught distributing contraband.
He committed the offences in Mountjoy Prison, as well as St Patrick’s Institution, Wheatfield, Cork, Limerick and Cloverhill Prisons. At one stage he was transferred to the secure unit of Cloverhill due to such problems.
In June 2003, Glennon lured another inmate into a room, where he was assaulted by others, an unusual occurrence according to prison staff.
That same month an inmate was found with a stab wound to his abdomen after an altercation with Glennon, who denied responsibility. Six months later he was caught kicking this same prisoner in the head in that prisoner’s cell.
Glennon attacked another inmate, who was being escorted by prison officers. This was believed to have been part of a family feud. Some months later he left the same inmate bleeding profusely from his face. Glennon told staff he had gone past using his fists with this man.
On another occasion he lunged at a prison officer who confiscated strands of wire and plastic bags from his cell.
Mr Farrell explained that the bags posed a suicide risk and wires were sometimes used for mobile phone and radio communication.
“I will slice you up,” he threatened another prison officer in May 2003, when ordered to return to his cell during lock down.
In October 2005, Glennon escaped from custody while in hospital, when a number of people held his prison officers at gunpoint.
The following year he attacked a fellow inmate, this time while he (Glennon) was being escorted by staff.
“I just happened to see him,” he said at the time.
Mr Farrell said he knew Declan O’Reilly from his time at Mountjoy.
“In general terms he was considered well-behaved,” he said. “He wasn’t a security threat.”
Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said Glennon died from two stab wounds to the chest, one which penetrated the heart and the other which injured his right lung.
He had two other stab wounds, but one of these was to arm muscle and the other was stopped by a rib. He found no defensive injuries on the body.
Paul McDermott SC, defending, showed him photographs of his client’s hands taken after the incident. Dr Curtis agreed that the incise wounds on his hands were typical of defensive injuries.
Detective Garda Ian Brunton said the accused made a number of comments to him that evening when in hospital to have his hands dressed.
“I was giving back the knife I had been holding for him. I handed it to him and he said he’d cut my throat,” said the defendant.
O’Reilly said he managed to get the knife off Glennon.
“I stuck it in him,” he said.
“He was bullying me. It was going on ages,” he added.
“Three days ago I got a dig off him for walking into his cell while he was smoking gear (heroin),” he continued. “I was holding gear for him.”
O’Reilly said Glennon had told O’Reilly’s brother a text that he would give the accused a stripe if he didn’t give him €100. The court heard that a stripe is a slash across the face.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy and a jury of five women and seven men
