Ward questioned over death threat claim

A man whose conviction for murdering journalist Veronica Guerin was overturned three years ago was yesterday questioned by gardaí over an alleged threat to kill a prison officer in Portlaoise Prison.

Paul Ward (41) was questioned by gardaí who visited the prison. Prison sources last night said Ward was alleged to have threatened to kill a senior prison officer at the jail last month. The matter was the subject of an internal disciplinary hearing.

The prison officer at the centre of the alleged threat has made a statement to gardaí about the incident.

The detectives who interviewed Ward yesterday were acting on this statement.

Ward is due for release in the next fortnight. He remains in jail on foot of a 10-year sentence for his part in the 1997 Mountjoy prison riots.

In March 2002, the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned the conviction and life sentence imposed on Ward for the murder of Veronica Guerin. The three-judge court found the State's evidence showed Ward did not participate in the planning of "this atrocious crime", and there was no evidence to support the non-jury Special Criminal Court's finding that he had.

Nor was there evidence to support its finding that Ward's role was to dispose of the gun and motorcycle used.

While serving the life sentence handed down for Ms Guerin's murder, Ward in 1997 became involved in a riot at Mountjoy prison during which a number of prison officers were taken hostage.

Ward, from Windmill Road, Crumlin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to falsely imprisoning a prison officer during the siege, which lasted from January 4th to 6th, 1997.

Five prison officers were taken hostage by a number of prisoners on January 4th, 1997, after an attempt to mount a rooftop protest over conditions at the jail failed. No physical injuries were sustained by prison officers but they were said to have been subjected to psychological terror from which, the trial judge said, they might never recover.

Ward was initially jailed for 12 years for his role in the incident but this was later reduced to 10 years by the Court of Criminal Appeal.

The sentence was backdated to November 1997, when he was arrested and charged in relation to it.

While reducing the sentence, the court rejected arguments that Ward's role in the riot was lesser than some of his co-accused. Ward had threatened to hang prison officers and also threatened them with a syringe filled with infected blood.

"He set out to cause terror and did so," Mr Justice Hardiman said.