Courts / Dublin / Report

Thug's attack on prison officer 'life altering'

Summary

Gary O'Brien, 32, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting prison officer John Cullen at Mountjoy Prison on 27 August 2016. O'Brien had been observed ingesting something in his cell and was unsteady when staff attempted to escort him to the reception area. He resisted and acted aggressively, telling staff he would not be searched. Officer Cullen sustained a broken finger, requiring two surgeries and a steel fixer in his hand, and reported the assault had a devastating effect on his mental health and mobility. O'Brien, who has 55 prior convictions, expressed deep shame and apologized, but Officer Cullen did not accept the apology. The court noted the incident had a "life altering" impact on Cullen and imposed the sentence with a suspended year, subject to probation, substance misuse work, and anger management.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Thug's attack on prison officer 'life altering'. Charges or matters: assaulting prison officer John Cullen at Mountjoy Prison on August 27, 2016. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• August 27, 2016 Incident
• 2020-10-16 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report