Annabels pair to move in with crimelords

TWO students jailed over a teenager’s death outside Annabels nightclub are set to be moved to a prison block housing some of the country’s most notorious criminals after budget cuts forced the closure of the segregation block they were being held in.

Dermot Laide and Sean Mackey are expected to be moved to B Wing of the Midlands Prison, which houses a number of Limerick criminals serving time for murder.

Budget cutbacks are being blamed for the closure of the segregation unit and the transfer of 40 inmates to the main block.

Laide, 22, from Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, was sentenced to four years in prison for the manslaughter of 18-year-old Brian Murphy outside Annabels nightclub in 2000. Mackey, 23, from Foxrock in south Dublin, is serving two years for violent disorder.

The two men have been held away from the main block since being convicted in March.

They have been working in the kitchens of the 540-bed Portlaoise facility.

Reports suggested the two are extremely unhappy about the move, with one stating they have been inconsolable since being told by staff.

The segregation unit houses trustees and drug-free prisoners and offers those held there a measure of security and protection. Laide and Mackey fear they will be targeted in the main block because of their high profile trial.

The unit’s closure has been criticised by prison officers, who claim it will add to overcrowding.

Nigel Mallen, the Prison Officers’ Association’s information officer, described it as a “retrograde step”.

“It would further reduce prison space available following the mothballing of Fort Mitchell and the Curragh prisons. It can only lead to further overcrowding in an already grossly overcrowded prison system,” he said.

Nearly 100 sex offenders were transferred to the Midlands following the closure of the Curragh. They are being held in a separate wing from the rest of the inmates.

Apart from the prison closures, visiting hours have been cut, workshops closed and education programmes cut after the Irish Prison Service was told to keep within a strict budget for the year.

The service is attempting to get rid of overtime but, despite months of negotiations, has yet to reach agreement with staff. In the meantime, the service must keep within a budget that is approximately 30m less than last year.

A spokesman for the prison service confirmed the segregation unit is to be gradually run down and will eventually be closed.

As space becomes available in the main block, prisoners will be transferred. The spokesman said there is no overcrowding in the prison, adding that there are 440 inmates in a facility with over 500 beds.

The spokesman added that the transferred inmates, including Laide and Mackey, will not be in any danger and will be given every protection necessary.