A prisoner who escaped from custody on a visit to a Dublin hospital two months after being jailed for five years has had his sentence extended by two years.
Mark Byrne was sent to Portlaoise Jail to serve a total of five years in consecutive sentences of four years and one year, imposed on him by Judge Elizabeth Dunne in November 2001 for a series of robberies.
The following January he was taken in custody to St James' Hospital to receive the results of HIV tests. The prison van stopped at a McDonald's on the return journey to get food for him but he produced a knife on one prison officer and threatened he would stab him.
He escaped and was unlawfully at large for over a month and was driving a stolen car when gardaí arrested him. His blood tests proved negative.
Byrne (27), previously from Kilcarrig Green, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to escaping from lawful custody on January 22nd, 2002 and the unlawful use of a vehicle on February 26th, 2002. He has 21 previous convictions.
The court heard the prison officers were greatly affected following the incident and one of them had yet to return to night or even indoor duty, over a year after Byrne's escape.
Byrne's sentence was due to expire some time in 2006 but if granted remission he could be released by May 2005.
Mr Bernard Condon BL, for Byrne, said his client had a considerable heroin addiction and drugs were freely available in Portlaoise Jail He had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and wanted to be sentenced as soon as soon as possible.
Judge Hogan said that while there were mitigating points in the case, he had to have regard to the manner in which the escape was perpetrated. There was a real threat of violence and Byrne had the means to carry it out.