Christmas Day jail break for MacArthur

Notorious killer Malcolm MacArthur will be let out of jail for a few hours tomorrow to celebrate Christmas with friends.

MacArthur, one of Ireland’s longest serving inmates, is among 107 prisoners being freed this year.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said the prisoners will be given varying periods of release at Christmas under the Criminal Justice Act 1960.

This figure is around 2.5% of the prisoner population, he said, and down 31 on the numbers released last year.

MacArthur was jailed for life for murdering Bridie Gargan in Phoenix Park in Dublin in 1982. The 29-year-old nurse was bludgeoned to death while sunbathing.

MacArthur was also accused of shooting farmer Donal Dunne in Co Westmeath within days of Ms Gargan’s killing, but was never tried for his murder.

A well-known socialite at the time, MacArthur was later arrested at the Dalkey home of then Attorney General Patrick Connolly, who was abroad at the time.

He has been granted temporary release at Christmas in the past.

Mr Ahern said the prisoners being released are nearing the end of their sentences and the overriding concern when considering the applications was the safety of the public.

“In addition to compassionate and humane considerations, other criteria taken into account include the nature and gravity of the offence, length of sentence served to date, prior record on temporary release, behaviour while in custody and previous criminal history,” he said.

The periods of release vary from a few hours (in some cases accompanied by another responsible person) to up to seven nights.

All releases are subject to stringent conditions which, in the vast majority of cases, includes a requirement to report to his/her local Garda station.

“Any offender who breaks these conditions may be arrested and returned immediately to prison by the Gardaí,” the minister added.

Elsewhere, the Prison Service of Northern Ireland has granted 72 prisoners temporary release for varying periods, compared with 82 last year.