Court dismisses prison officer's shooting claim due to 26-year delay

He had claimed a bullet narrowly missed him when a firearm was discharged by an Irish Army soldier during a paramilitary prisoner's escape attempt

The prison officer, who says he developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the alleged incident, was dismissed from his job in May 1989 following six written warnings about his absenteeism. File photo

A legal action by a prison officer, who claimed a bullet narrowly missed him when a firearm was discharged by an Irish Army soldier during an attempted escape by a paramilitary prisoner from Portlaoise Prison some 34 years ago, has been rejected by the Court of Appeal (CoA).

The court dismissed an appeal by Sean O'Brien (62), who was stationed at the high security Portlaoise facility since becoming a prison officer in 1980, because of a 26-year delay in prosecuting the case. In May 1988, he was allegedly involved in the capture of a paramilitary prisoner who attempted to escape.