Courts / Dublin / Report

Woman sentenced for assaulting prison officer

Summary

Michelle McCullough, 40, of Regina Coeli Hostel, was found guilty of assaulting a prison officer at Dóchas Centre on 25 July 2015. On that day she had received medication, then refused to return to her cell, claiming she had "heard her dead child in the walls." While walking through the prison yard, she became agitated; officers attempted to restrain her, and she pulled the hair of a female officer and kicked her in the stomach. The officer suffered breathing difficulties and was out of work for about eight weeks, later recovering fully. McCullough has 177 prior convictions, mainly for theft, and five for assault. She had spent 18 months in a psychiatric unit after her child's death and had a history of drug addiction, though she was reportedly heroin‑free. The court, noting the aggravated nature of the assault on a staff member and the victim's impact, sentenced her to four and a half months' imprisonment.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Woman sentenced for assaulting prison officer. Charges or matters: assault at Dóchas Centre, North Circular Road, Dublin, on July 25, 2015. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• July 25, 2015 Incident
• 2019-05-10 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Drugs Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report