Allegedly threatened to stab Portlaoise Prison officer in the heart

A Judge refused jurisdiction after hearing an allegation that an inmate had threatened to stab a prison officer in the heart. 

Gerard Manning (45) of 17 Upper Gerald Griffin Street, Limerick, is accused of threatening to kill or cause serious harm at Portlaoise Prison on July 1, 2021. 

Solicitor John Cullen had said the case was adjourned to determine whether travel expenses would be provided to an expert witness. 

Judge Susan Fay said the case had been adjourned to the sitting of Portlaoise District Court to either hear a plea or set a date for hearing the case. 

Mr Cullen said this couldn’t be done “in abstraction” from having an examination carried out by the expert witness. 

Judge Fay then told Mr Cullen that she wanted to consider jurisdiction in the case to determine whether she could hear it in the district court. 

Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby outlined the alleged facts which had taken place at Portlaoise Prison on July 1 at 7pm. He said the incident occurred when the defendant was being locked up for the night.

He said it would be alleged the man began banging his door and shouting and “repeatedly shouted at the injured party that he would stab him in the chest and the heart”. 

On hearing the facts, Judge Fay said she was refusing jurisdiction. 

“With respect Judge, you have shifted from one set of parameters to another,” said Mr Cullen. 

He again spoke of his expert witness who he said was expected to “arrive here on some sort of a magic carpet” for the case. He said jurisdiction was now being refused “for reasons which are not abundantly clear”. 

Judge Fay said she was adjourning the matter to Portlaoise District Court on December 15. 

“I would ask you to recuse yourself,”  Mr Cullen said to the Judge, who then informed him she was rising for lunch.