A Mountjoy prison officer faces up to ten years in jail for smuggling drugs in to a convicted murderer in to feed his own habit, a court heard today.
Dillon O’Brien (37) also pleaded guilty to bringing alcohol and mobile phones into four prisoners.
The father-of-three and two co-accused - an inmate and his brother - will be sentenced on Monday.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard O’Brien first smuggled a mobile phone in for his wife’s friend when her partner was jailed.
Michael O’Higgins, for O’Brien, revealed he then joined a gym in Blanchardstown where he mingled with criminals and started bringing contraband into the prison in return for cocaine, which he regularly used.
A stash of mobile phones, SIM cards and traces of cocaine were discovered in his home on Charnwood Meadows, Clonsilla, on March 15th, 2007.
Seamus Clarke, prosecuting, also revealed the phone numbers of two well known criminals were also on his mobile phone.
O’Brien pleaded guilty to six separate charges, which included smuggling mobile phones, vodka and drugs in to an inmate between January 2005 and March 2007 and conspiring to smuggle. He also admitted possession of cocaine in his home.
Thomas Hinchon - jailed for life in 2005 for shooting Jonathan O’Reilly outside Cloverhill Prison - pleaded guilty to two charges, with a third to be taken into account.
His brother Sean Hinchon (32), an unemployed father-of-one from St Ronan’s Close in Clondalkin, admitted two charges of smuggling contraband.
The court heard Sean Hinchon had only ever been before the court for motoring offences and has no links with a criminal gang.
Judge Katherine Delahunt adjourned sentencing until Monday, to allow Sean Hinchon the weekend at home to celebrate his son’s birthday.