Prison officer had 150 medical appointments after attack

A man assaulted a prison officer in the medical wing of Mountjoy Prison, leaving him with a concussion, a court has heard.

Dean Boland, (38), pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a prison officer in Mountjoy Prison on April 14, 2024. The victim was left with a severe concussion that has led to extensive medical care, but it is unlikely the officer will make a full recovery.

Boland is currently serving a six-year sentence for arson and has an earliest release date in 2027. He has a total of 34 previous convictions, including burglary, attempted robbery, drugs and public order offences.

Garda Andrew Hart told Sarah Connolly BL, prosecuting, that the injured party was assigned to a prison landing where prisoners, including Boland, were under the care of the Central Mental Hospital (CMH). Boland, with a former address in Northwood, Santry, has a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Boland had been housed on that landing for several months and there had been no issues between him and the injured party.

A nurse was administering medications on the day in question, and the injured party went to Boland’s cell to tell him to get his medicine.

Boland was still in bed and refused to go. The injured party reminded Boland to get out of bed, then the defendant got up and walked towards the cell door.

The injured party noticed Boland wasn’t wearing shoes and was about to tell him to put them on when Boland punched him hard on the left side of his face, knocking him unconscious.

When he regained consciousness, the victim attempted to restrain Boland with help from other prison officers. He was then taken to the medical unit to be assessed and was found to have sustained an injury to his leg.

The prison officer was in shock and left work early. He was later diagnosed with severe concussion and did not return to work for 14 months.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by Ms Connolly, the prison officer said he was “assaulted in the course of my duties” and punched with “considerable force” while turned away from Boland.

He said this unprovoked attack has had a profound effect on his life, and he was also diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and PTSD.

He said he has experienced issues with his speech, short-term memory loss, balance, neck pain and migraine. He has attended over 150 medical appointments so far and feels “it is unlikely” he will make a full recovery.

The assault also had an impact on his family and he has since moved roles within the Irish Prison Service. He also said it affected his ability to take part in marathons and other physical activities, and worries people underestimate the impact on him as he shows no visible injuries.

He said he is determined to recover and rebuild his life as much as possible.

A medical report was handed into the court.

Garda Hart agreed with Keith Spencer BL, defending, that his client was under the care of the CMH at the time, and he has also spent periods of time in that facility.

Mr Spencer said it is accepted that any sentence imposed should be consecutive to the one his client is serving, but asked the court to consider backdating the sentence to the date his client was charged. He noted that a decision is due from the Supreme Court, which may affect this client’s current sentence.

A letter of apology was handed to the court, which also heard that the injured party had been shown this land and acknowledged its contents.

Mr Spencer said Boland is apologetic for his actions. He has some work history and addiction issues to cocaine and heroin.

He is currently stable on a monthly injection, and his mental health has improved. Counsel said Boland intends to leave Dublin following his release from custody and wishes to engage with the Probation Service.

Mr Spencer said a psychological report was ordered, but none was available to the court.

Judge Martina Baxter noted that any sentence by law must be consecutive to the one Boland is currently serving. She noted that the injured party was unarmed and this was an “out of the blue” assault.

Adjourning the case to December, the judge directed the preparation of probation, governor and medical reports along with urine analysis.

Boland was handed an eight-year sentence in March 2023 after he was convicted of the unlawful killing of Ohari Viera, arson and burglary in August 2018. Boland had broken into a downstairs apartment of a Dublin residential property at Oaklands Terrace, Terenure, stole a rucksack and set fire to the property.

Mr Viera had been living in an upstairs apartment with two other men, and all three managed to evacuate the building safely as soon as they became aware of the fire downstairs.

Mr Viera then went back into the house for an unknown reason and died.

The Court of Appeal quashed Boland's conviction for manslaughter in October 2024 and returned the case to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for re-sentencing on the counts of arson and burglary.

Judge Elma Sheahan imposed a six-year sentence on Boland on the count of arson, with the burglary charge taken into consideration in April 2025. This sentence was backdated to December 16, 2022.

The Supreme Court later granted leave to the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision.