Ruling ‘opens gates’ for 880 slopping out cases

The State is bracing itself for the outcomes of around 880 court cases on “slopping out” in prisons after it lost a landmark action in the High Court.

The court ruled the State had breached the constitutional rights to privacy of prisoner Gary Simpson who had to defecate and urinate in a chamber pot in front of other cellmates while in Mountjoy Prison.

Official figures show approximately 880 similar cases have been litigated and are before the courts. A further 1,400 actions are at pre-litigation stage.