Prison officer denies inciting John Gilligan

A prison officer denied at the Special Criminal Court today that he had pushed convicted drugs dealer John Gilligan and used abusive language during an incident at Portlaoise Prison last year.

Assistant Chief Officer Martin Ryan denied a suggestion by Gilligan's counsel Mr Michael

O' Higgins SC that he had called Gilligan a c...t and pushed him after Gilligan had returned from meeting a Chief Officer over access to the tuck shop.

Officer Ryan said: "I got a fair box on the jaw that morning from John Gilligan and I didn't get time to think of anything else. I was stunned by that box.''

Gilligan has denied assaulting officer Ryan as he was being escorted to a professional visit with his solicitor in the prison just ten days after he was jailed for 28 years for importing large quantities of cannabis resin.

Officer Ryan told the court that Gilligan wanted to use the tuck shop and went to seek permission from the Chief Officer. He said that Gilligan had struck him with his clenched fist on the jaw when he returned from seeing the Chief Officer.

Cross examined by Mr O' Higgins, Officer Ryan denied that there had been friction between himself and Gilligan because Gilligan had gone "over his head'' to get permission to use the tuck shop.

He denied a suggestion that Gilligan had told him "in utterly disrespectful terms'' to open the tuck shop and that his (officer Ryan's) reaction was to call him a c...t and to push him.

He also denied a suggestion that he was "confrontational and aggressive'' with other prisoners. Officer Ryan said that after the incident he had gone to the prison surgery and then to Portlaoise Hospital and had then gone home to bed.

He told Mr O' Higgins that he returned to the prison later that night to make a report on the incident for the Governor. He said that there had been a disciplinary hearing inside the prison and he agreed that about two weeks after the incident he made a complaint to the gardai against Gilligan.

Officer Ryan also told Mr O' Higgins that he had consulted a solicitor and when asked if he could be seeking compensation over the incident he replied: "That could be right".

Gilligan has pleaded not guilty to assaulting prison officer Martin Ryan causing him harm at Portlaoise Prison on March 25 last year.

He also denied threatening Mr Ryan that he would be killed and with also threatening prison officer Declan O' Reilly that he would be killed on the same date.

Gilligan is serving a twenty eight years prison sentence imposed by the Special Criminal Court on March 15 last year for importing cannabis resin.

John Gilligan (aged 50), with addresses at Corduff Avenue, Blanchardstown, Dublin, Jessbrook Equestrian Centre, Mucklon, Enfield, Co Kildare, was convicted of eleven offences of unlawfully importing cannabis resin into the State on various dates between July 1, 1994 and October 6, 1996, that he unlawfully possessed cannabis resin for sale or supply on the same dates and that on or about October 3, 1996 at Greenmount Industrial Estate, Harold's Cross, Dublin he had cannabis resin for sale or supply.

He was cleared of the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin on June 26, 1996.

The trial is continuing.