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"No bad blood": Brian Rattigan gives statement in support of Freddie Thompson

Summary

Brian Rattigan, a 39‑year‑old convicted criminal, has sworn a statement supporting Freddie Thompson's High Court challenge against Portlaoise Prison's A‑wing regime. Rattigan says there is "no bad blood" between him and Thompson, that they have good relations, have spoken long conversations, and that their families have met. He argues that housing them together poses no security threat and that Thompson's 18‑month detention in the punishment block is inhumane compared to the general prison population. Rattigan, who has been in and out of prison since 2003 and is due for release in 2021, claims he will not extend his time in prison and wishes to be moved to an open prison or receive intermittent release. Thompson, serving a life sentence for the 2016 murder of David Douglas, alleges that his regime denies him contact, exercise, fresh air and education, and that he is treated differently from other life‑sentence inmates.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: "No bad blood": Brian Rattigan gives statement in support of Freddie Thompson. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• March 2018 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2019-10-22 Publication

Why: Rattigan, who says he is due for release in 2021, said any notion that Thompson cannot be moved out of the punishment block in Portlaoise because "I represent a threat to him or that we are a threat to each other is false". CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report