Daniel McDonnell wins High Court challenge over solitary confinement

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Daniel McDonnell won a High Court challenge over his solitary confinement at Wheatfield Prison, where he had been held in 23-hour lock-up for 11 months. The proceedings were reported on 18 February 2015.

McDonnell had been jailed for the murder of Melanie McCarthy-McNamara. He had denied the murder charge. The report said McCarthy-McNamara was shot in the head while sitting in the back of a car in 2012.

Prison authorities had segregated McDonnell for his own safety, deciding that he was at risk from other prisoners. The High Court found that the confinement breached his constitutional right to bodily and psychological integrity. It found the justification disproportionate to the stated risk and said the confinement should have been reviewed within three to four weeks.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission drew the court’s attention to the human rights and equality principles involved. The report said that, following the judgment, such detention would have to be proportionate to the perceived risk, have an end date and be reviewed regularly.

This report covers an earlier stage of the case. Later developments are not reported here.