Man on trial for Mountjoy killing

A 30-year-old former Mountjoy inmate has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court for the murder of a fellow inmate at the jail over three years ago.

Declan O'Reilly, from Parnell Road in Crumlin, has denied murdering Derek Glennon on June 25, 2007, on a ground floor wing of the prison.

The 24-year-old died in the Mater hospital after being stabbed during a fight.

Opening the trial for the jury today, prosecuting counsel, Mr Anthony Sammon SC, said the case was unusual in that the alleged murder had taken place in a prison.

He said the “major witness” in the trial is the CCTV footage of the incident, which he said amounted to a “very fast moving struggle in a corridor of the prison.”

The prosecution's case is that O'Reilly “with a knife stabbed the unfortunate deceased and as a result of that Derek Glennon died” Mr Sammon told the jury.

John Farrell, who was a senior prison officer in Mountjoy at the time, told the court in his evidence that he became aware of “horseplay” between two inmates on the evening in question.

He said this intensified into a fight so he called for assistance and went to separate the prisoners, who had both fallen to the ground in the struggle.

When reached them he said Derek Glennon was on top of O'Reilly and appeared to have gained the upper hand, so he believed him to be the aggressor.

After he and other prison staff had separated the two, Mr Farrell said Derek Glennon remained violent and he heard someone shout “ he has a knife.”

Believing this to mean that it was Mr Glennon who had the weapon, Mr Farrell struck him and brought him to the ground to restrain him as was procedure. At that point he heard Mr Glennon say “I'm stabbed” and he showed him a stab wound.

The witness helped him to his feet and began to walk him away from the scene, but Mr Glennon's feet went from under him and he collapsed.

Prison staff attempted to give him medical assistance while they waited for the emergency services to arrive.

The jury watched two pieces of footage from CCTV cameras that had captured the incident.

The recordings showed two inmates engaged in a struggle that moves up and down a corridor as a number of other prisoners look on.

Several prison staff then separate the two, and the crowd disperses.

The jury was also cautioned by the prosecution against speculating as to why O'Reilly had been in prison in June 2007.

“It is very important that you do not in any way allow that to influence your judgment of the facts” Mr Sammon told the five men and seven women.

The trial resumes tomorrow before Mr Justice Garrett Sheehan and is expected to last until the end of the week.