A lawyer has told a court that a woman prisoner, who suffers from mental health problems, has been told to go to a window and get a breath of air if she has a panic attack.
At Ennis District Court on Thursday, solicitor John Casey said his client, Bulgarian national Renata Baeva (40), has been “left to languish in her cell” in Limerick’s women’s prison since her arrest in May.
Casey told Judge Adrian Harris that he has made repeated requests in court since May that Baeva see a psychiatrist while on remand so that she can get the medication she requires. He said so far she has not been able to see a psychiatrist.
“The explanation is that there is no psychiatrist for Limerick Prison,” he said.
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In the case, Baeva and co-accused Yavor Kostov (30), with different addresses in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, are facing charges concerning the seizure of suspected herbal cannabis with an estimated value of €620,000 at Shannon Airport on Monday, May 11th.
Baeva is on remand at the Women’s Prison in Limerick, which is the most overcrowded prison in the system and is running above 150 per cent capacity.
Casey said that there has been no update from Limerick Prison in relation to consultation with a psychiatrist for his client.
“This situation is just intolerable. Ms Baeva is a non-Irish national. She has no family and doesn’t speak English. There is a duty of care to look after her. If she had a broken leg, she would be brought to hospital. It is no different to that.
“Ms Baeva is told that if she has a panic attack to go to the window and get a breath of air.”
She will be going forward to Ennis Circuit Court on a signed plea to the charges before the court.
“It is urgent for her to see a psychiatrist,” he said.
In response, the judge directed that she receive psychiatric attention immediately.
In the case, Sgt John Burke told the court that new charges have been brought against the two co-accused.
The two are now also charged with importing cannabis with a market value of €13,000 or more on May 11th at Shannon Airport.
The two face a second charge of the possession of cannabis with a value of €13,000 or more for the purpose of selling or otherwise supplying the drugs at Shannon Airport on the same date.
The judge further remanded the two to appear in court via video-link from prison at Ennis District Court on September 9th.
