Political prisoner in Portaoise driven insane

by hunter Sun Mar 23, 2003 03:08

only for a day and i nearly went insane too.

serioulsy, this is quite bad - do you have any more info?

not a fan at all of inla or cira but this shits not on...

first they came for the communists... etc

by Max Sun Mar 23, 2003 03:17

Patrick O’Toole, 24, from Kilclare Gardens, Tallaght, Dublin, was given seven years for false imprisonment of David Hooper, Anthony Deegan, John Finnegan and Gavin Dalyon on October 6, 1999 at Ballymount Road Industrial Estate, Walkinstown.

Two rival gangs, one linked to a Dublin criminal, the other to the INLA, were involved in a violent confrontation at a warehouse unit in the industrial estate which led to the death of a Belfast man. Thompson was just four weeks out of prison when the incident occurred. He had served 18 months for his involvement in an INLA robbery at Golden Bridge industrial estate in 1997.

Yesterday, the three-judge said it was satisfied he organised the INLA-linked gang to be there and sprung the trap which led to members of the rival gang being beaten, interrogated and threatened at the scene.

Mr Justice Frederick Morris said the incident was "an extremely serious case of gang warfare which had the eventual result of the death of one of the people partaking in it."

INLA man Patrick Campbell was fatally injured from a beating at the scene. He died days later in Tallaght hospital.

Thompson had organised a group of INLA associates including Campbell to protect his employer, John Creed, when a prominent Dublin criminal sent a gang of six men - including Hooper, Deegan, Finnegan and Daly - to extract money from Creed at the industrial unit on the night. Det Inspector Thomas Mulligan told the court this was part of an ongoing dispute between the Dublin criminal and Creed's family. On October 5, 1999, Mr Creed's son damaged a van belonging to the criminal, and Creed learned he was expected to pay £600 in compensation.

At lunch the following day, John Thompson helped Creed through his contacts with the INLA, he later told Gardai. Thompson made contact with his associates in the INLA and a group of them, including Patrick Campbell, Declan Duffy and Patrick O'Toole waited upstairs in the industrial unit until the rival gang arrived. The criminal's gang of six were trapped, stripped, beaten and had live electric drills held to the back of their knees. Alerted when they did not return to base, he arrived at the scene himself along with 11 other men and a further confrontation took place, where Patrick Campbell was injured.

John Creed, of Kilatown Green, Tallaght, was given a three year sentence, while Declan Duffy, a native of Armagh, and Patrick O'Toole, from Kilclare Gardens, Tallaght, are serving nine and seven years respectively. Hooper, Deegan, Finnegan and Daly failed to turn up in court. Two said this was "out of fear".

by Max Sun Mar 23, 2003 03:24

Paddy O'Toole was involved in Drug Dealing he gives the Omagh bombers a bad name - at least they can claim to be political.

Guys like Paddy only join up with grups like to INLA to get much needed support for their Drug Dealing etc..

Plus what did he do to be knocked into Isolation in Portlaiose - its already a hell hole! Its like the Gerry McCabe murders - they were out doing a job to raise money for themselves.

The IRA, CIRA, INLA etc should dump these scum bags they are damaging the movement!!

Wolfe Tone, Pearse, Connelly & Sands are spinning in their graves!!!!

by hunter Sun Mar 23, 2003 03:26

does that merit the man being driven insane (if this is in fact the case)

like i said, i'm no fan of the inla, far from it, i know all about their dealings etc.

but this does not mean thatthe state should be given carte balnche to dowhatever they choose with prisoners, no matter how scumbaggish they are.

and your report looks like its lifted from a court report. are the courts in this country also right? hmmmm

mind you i'd be inclined to believe it.

but when i asked for more info, i meant like a medical report or something along those lines

...then they came for the trade unionists...

by Max Sun Mar 23, 2003 03:36

See your point re the courts - this guy must have done something pretty serious to be put in iso for a year otherwist the civil lib groups whould have questioned it before not - I find it hard to blame the gove - if this guy was a danger to the other prisoners, staff etc what else could the do?? Iso is the last resort + I know there are huge restrictions on its use etc...

Bottom line this guy brought it on himself - if you can't do the time, don't do the crime!

by As do ,many other junkies Sun Mar 23, 2003 03:36

Who makes money from evil substance methadone - more addictive than Horse?

by Max Sun Mar 23, 2003 03:39

As someone that sees the effects of the Govts policy on methadone etc I can say it is failing addicts & their families.

Its a rackett between the Social Services & Medi Profession etc - unfortunatly SF etc support it so there's little guys like me can do to highlight the issue.....

by Ha typical Sun Mar 23, 2003 04:32

Scumbags deserve to rot in prison eh is that how it is. Shame on you all!

by Max Mos Sun Mar 23, 2003 04:57

Bottom line this guy brought it on himself - if you can't do the time, don't do the crime!

by hunter Sun Mar 23, 2003 06:07

and by the way, even if he was the scummiest of the scummiest - if his incarceration sent him insane then this is something to be concerned about. and if the cira guy is in a similar position then this is serious.

...them they came for the jews...

by vanunu Sun Mar 23, 2003 09:35

Well you know how the Israelis treat their political prisoners .... 18 years solitary ... no problem ....

http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=36946&start=10

by Ailin Sun Mar 23, 2003 11:45

REPUBLICAN prisoners in Portlaoise prison have expressed grave concern for the health of fellow Republican prisoner Eddie Heeney of Drogheda, Co Louth, who is serving an eight-year sentence.

Eddie Heeney was one of CIRA prisoners who undertook a hunger strike in July 2001, because he was denied political status. This strike was ended on 17 August 2001 “in good faith” after negocations chaired by former Fermanagh Councillor Tony McPhillips (see SAOIRSE September 2001 for full account). Yet one year and seven months later Eddie Heeney is still held in the punishment bunker of D1 block.

He has no spent over two-and-half years in this area. D Block houses 28 non-political prisoners and the punishment bunker housed in the base of this area consists of two small cells where prisoners are housed in isolation. A prisoner is only allowed to exercise in a small yard which is approximately the size of a handball alley, for one hour per day.

Just four weeks ago an INLA prisoner Paddy O'Toole who had spent one year in this punishment area was removed to Dundrum for mentally insane prisoners. This is what happened to Paddy, a prisoner with no history of insanity because of the isolation in the bunker area.

Republican Sinn Féin are demanding that Eddie Heeney be released from this area and returned to where he can enjoy the company of his comrades before he too has to be removed to Dundrum. Eddie's physical health has been damaged by the hunger strike and it is imperative that he is not further damaged by this cruel and degrading treatment.

by Ailin Sun Mar 23, 2003 11:56

Just a quick follow up point. CIRA prisoners have in the past been sent straight to the punishment block as soon as they arrived at the prison at the start of their sentence. One prisoner was immediately put into D3 bunker – effectively he was put on punishment on his arrival by the Governor who kept him separate from other prisoners and he stayed there until the end of his sentence.

The conditions in D3 are among the worst in the Victorian prison and the cells have no beds (just a mattress on the floor), no windows or natural light, no locker or radio and the artificial light is on 24 hours a day.

by Give it up Sun Mar 23, 2003 16:26

The jails here can be as bad as they want to be. After all it is only scumbags in our jails. Don't you know these peaceniks don't give two fucks about Ireland, north or south?

by Phuq Hedd Mon Mar 24, 2003 00:27

Those that know about this should write up a little more detail and give background.

No matter what the prisoner did he should be treated humanely. Solitary wards, lockdown, isolation etc are tantamount to torture.

All the crap about "if you can't do the time" is just meaningless slogans.

Prisons are an appalling punishment. Their only purpose should be to remove those that are a danger to society -- not to torture them. I shouldn't have to spell out the pragmatic and moral reasons for this.

If the report is true then the calls for activism around this are supportable.

by Hebe Mon Mar 24, 2003 11:24

Irish Political Status Committee Newsletter is now available online. The direct URL is:
http://humanrightsonline.net/newsletter1.html

by Saidhbhin Mon Mar 24, 2003 14:14

Many treaties have been written regarding the treatment of prisoners etc. but it seems that if they are not called prisoners, then humans have no rights...see the Afghanistan POWs..
It is not just in Columbia that we see the mistreatment of prisoners - it is obviously something that occurs world-wide,and Ireland is well-known for the inhumane treatment of prisoners(see Amnesty International reports for further info)...something that Irish people are not informed of it seems.
But all humans have basic right regardless of whether or not they have infringed on the rights of others...