Convicted rapist sues over delay in review of alleged perjury by prison guards

A man convicted of rape has initiated High Court proceedings challenging the Director of Public Prosecutions over an alleged delay in reviewing a decision not to prosecute prison officers for perjury. Darius Savickis, originally from Lithuania and with an address in County Galway, was assaulted by several prison guards on 29 September 2009 while serving a sentence at Castlerea Prison in County Roscommon. The incident was recorded on CCTV. Following civil proceedings, the Court of Appeal in 2016 found the officers had lied under oath and awarded him damages totalling €17,225. In 2017, the DPP agreed to review its decision not to prosecute the officers for perjury. Savickis claims his solicitors made repeated enquiries in 2018 regarding progress, with responses indicating the review was ongoing but taking longer than expected. Mr Justice Seamus Noonan granted permission for the judicial review on an ex-parte basis on Monday, with the matter returnable in March.