A prison officer’s home in Co Meath has been targeted in a petrol bomb attack in an incident believed to be linked to his work dealing with serious criminals.
The Irish Times understands a window in the officer’s home was broken and a flammable device was thrown inside on Monday night. It appears the damage was contained to a small area and the officer, who was at home with at least one other family member, was able to quickly extinguish the fire.
However, sources described the incident as a very serious one that involved a degree of background work, or surveillance, given those responsible were able to identity the officer’s home, which is not in the same county as where he works.
Incidents targeting prison officers are not unprecedented but are unusual in the State and investigations by An Garda Síochána and the Irish Prison Service into the attack are underway.
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The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said it “utterly condemns the cowardly arson attack” which it said was “extremely sinister”and could have led to loss of life”. The organisation’s deputy general secretary Gabriel Keaveny said the POA had “no doubt that this horrific attack” was related to the man’s work.
“We now call on the Minister for Justice and the Garda commissioner to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that prison officers and their families are safe in their own homes,” he said. “The Government have a responsibility for the safety and security to its employees.”
Gardaí confirmed they were “investigating an incident of criminal damage by fire” that occurred at around 11:30pm on Monday in Trim, Co Meath. “No injuries have been reported at this time. Enquiries are ongoing,” it added.
Sources said one line of inquiry is that recent investigative work into criminals posing a serious safety risk in jails had resulted in consequences for some of those prisoners. Gardaí are trying to establish if the attack was linked to this issue.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said she condemned the attack, describing it as “a reckless and unacceptable act of violence that could have had very tragic consequences”. She noted that the maximum prison sentence for assaulting or threatening people in roles such as prisons officers or gardaí had increased from seven to 12 years and that the offence of arson carries a sentence of up to life in prison.
In a statement the Irish Prison Service said “any act of violence against a prison officer is unacceptable”.
“Any criminal act carried out within our prisons, including assaults or threats on a staff member, are reported to An Gardaí Síochána for investigation and prosecution,” it added. “Staff who are subject to an assault or threat in our prisons are given the necessary supports through the employee assistance programme.”
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