Prisoner found hanging in cell
Barry Smith, a serial thief who went on a crime rampage after serving time for the brutal beating and robbery of an elderly man, is believed to have committed suicide. The 24-year-old’s body was found late on Saturday as many of his fellow inmates in Roscommon’s Castlerea prison were watching a play, Someone to Watch Over Me, in a recreation area.
The day before, he appeared before Drogheda District Court on 26 charges of larceny, theft and criminal damage. He was already serving an 18-month sentence for burglary after being convicted last month. These crimes occurred when Smith was released from prison after serving more than four years for the 1997 assault and robbery of 79-year-old Dundalk man Bernard Traynor.
The Irish Prison Service confirmed the body of a man was found in his cell at 10pm on Saturday. A ligature was wrapped around his neck and attached to the window.
Smith was not considered a suicide risk and was not under any special watch. It is the first suspected prison suicide this year.
He died as members of the Coolera Drama Society from Sligo staged Frank McGuinness’s ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’, the playwright’s harrowing take on the life of the Beirut hostages. The ‘Border Fox’, Dessie O’Hare, is said to have attended, though other INLA inmates and the prison’s small IRA contingent declined an invitation.
Castlerea governor Dan Scannell is a member of the drama group. They put on regular shows in the prison. Mr Scannell said he was called away from the play, to attend the scene with a doctor and wait for gardaí to arrive. He later rejoined guests attending the performance.
Smith, of Mountainview Crescent in Dundalk, was well known in his home town and neighbouring districts as a somewhat hapless criminal, but with a vicious streak.
The most recent charges, relate to crimes in Dundalk, Drogheda and Dunleer over a period of just a few months.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
