Plight facing brain damaged homeless man 'should not exist in a civilised state' says judge

A brain-damaged homeless man has been on remand for more than a year in Mountjoy Prison’s high dependency unit despite persistent reports he is of unsound mind and needs residential care, the president of the High Court has heard.

Mr Justice Peter Kelly, having been told a senior HSE official had cancelled a residential care plan due to "resource issues" and it was being proposed to discharge him to access homeless services, said this was a "staggering" and “truly awful situation and one that should not exist in a civilised state".