Gardaí and HSE probe claims lives of prison officers were put at risk

The incident is said to have taken place at Portlaoise Prison in Co Laois. 

The gardaí and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are conducting separate investigations into an incident in Portlaoise Prison in which senior prison officers claimed their lives were put in danger by colleagues who disparaged them to some of the most dangerous criminals in the State. 

Detectives from the Portlaoise district have interviewed prison officers about the incident and are now advancing to interview prisoners who were central to the issue, including the gangland figure Freddie Thompson.