Bomb attack on prison officer’s vehicle

A female prison officer was recovering from shock yesterday after a pipebomb attack on her car at the weekend — the second such incident in a fortnight.

A former inmate of Cork Prison, where the officer works, is suspected of being behind both incidents, which mark a renewal of a previous threat made against the officer some years back.

Gardaí are taking the matter very seriously and are continuing their investigation into those thought to be responsible.

Prison sources believe that the main culprit may be getting associates of his to carry out the attacks, suspecting that he might be under Garda surveillance himself.

Shortly before 2am on Saturday a pipe bomb was thrown into the woman’s car, exploding and destroying the vehicle.

Emergency services were alerted and gardaí arrived at the scene within minutes, as fire crews extinguished the blaze. It came just two weeks after another pipebomb was hurled into her car, but on that occasion the device failed to go off.

Gardaí conducted a threat assessment after that incident and gave the officer security advice. It is also thought that they placed some surveillance on the man they suspect of being behind the incident.

Sources believe this individual may have organised associates to conduct Saturday morning’s attack.

The female officer is thought to live in the house on her own.

“It is traumatic enough for anyone to be at the receiving end of this kind of attack, but for a woman on her own it’s terrifying,” said one source.

A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said: “We are aware of a Garda investigation into the incident. The officer has the full support of the prison governor and the Irish Prison Service.”

It is thought the governor of Cork Prison visited the officer afterwards and offered his support, which he did following the attack two weeks ago.

Sources said it was not clear exactly what lay behind the attacks. It is thought the prison officer had a “run-in” with an inmate some years ago and that on his release he targeted the officer and made threats against her and her home. Under a protocol with gardaí, local officers conducted a threat assessment at that stage.

Sources said the threat seemed to fade over the years, but has reignited in recent weeks.

One source said the attack is reminiscent of the days when the McCarthy-Dundon gang in Limerick targeted a number of prison officers.

“Prison officers have run- ins with some inmates; that goes with the territory,” said a source. “But this kind of attack is a much more serious one, no doubt about that.” The source added: “It’s very alarming. If they don’t get this guy quick, every clown will try it.”

The attack is the latest on prison staff. Last Thursday, two prison officers received injuries after inmates used a brush handle in an unprovoked assault in Mountjoy Prison. One officer suffered blows to his shoulder; a second was struck in the head.

Last Tuesday, a convicted murderer punched a female prison nurse in the face as she entered the prisoner’s cell in Wheatfield Prison.

In March, an officer in Midlands Prison was slashed in the back with a homemade knife by an inmate and required 14 stitches. Two other officers were injured.

In February, Midlands prisoner Derek Brockwell escaped from Tallaght Hospital after he slashed an officer across the stomach.

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