A PRISON officer has gone on trial charged with making a false allegation about a needle injury in Mountjoy Prison.
Robert O’Neill (44), of Littlepace Woods, Clonee, Co Meath, has pleaded not guilty to making a false allegation on May 5th, 2006, that his hand was pricked by a syringe left on a palm reading device at the jail the previous day.
A fellow prison officer, Edward Barry, said he had been standing a short distance from the palm reader when he heard Mr O’Neill shout a profanity.
He told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he saw blood on the accused’s hand and a small orange-tipped needle on the palm reader. Mr Barry said he removed the needle and told his injured colleague, whom he described as “in a sweat” not to show his condition to the prisoners queuing nearby for methadone.
He said he subsequently viewed CCTV stills of the scene about the time of the alleged incident, and identified another prison officer using the palm reader minutes before Mr O’Neill placed his hand inside the device.
He agreed with Mr Gillane, defending, that some prisoners in Mountjoy had “one goal in mind” – to injure prison officers – and would “secrete” sharp objects in cells and wall cavities.
Mr Barry agreed that although needles were like “gold” now because of crackdowns, in 2006 they were “rampant” and “less like gold, more like copper”.
Prison officer Alan Maher said he identified himself using the palm reader at about 10.28am in CCTV stills of the scene on May 4th, 2006, and confirmed he noticed “nothing untoward” when he placed his palm inside.
He agreed with Mr Gillane that the needle could have been on the palm reader when he used it, though he didn’t notice.
Mr O’Neill explained to gardaí during a voluntary interview that the needle may have been stuck on top of a ridge in the device for weeks.
He claimed in the interview, read by prosecutor Elva Duffy in court, that he learned of a prisoner “mouthing off about getting a screw” after the alleged incident.
The trial continues.
