Mountjoy prison officer killed in Madrid road incident

Liam Donoghue (52) died after being hit by a taxi early on Sunday morning

Liam Donoghue worked in Mountjoy Prison as a prison officer. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins
Liam Donoghue worked in Mountjoy Prison as a prison officer. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins

An Irish prison officer has died after being hit by a car in the Spanish capital of Madrid in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The man was hit by a taxi at about 2.20am while crossing the Ronda de Toledo, a major road in Madrid’s city centre near the Toledo Gate.

He has been named locally as 52-year-old Liam Donoghue, who worked in Mountjoy Prison as a prison officer.

He was considered a popular and well-known officer in the Dublin prison. The man’s immediate family has been notified.

Paramedics and law enforcement attended the scene and treated the prison officer for cardiac arrest, local officials said.

He was transferred to the nearby Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos and was later pronounced dead.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the case and is providing consular support to the family.

“As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases,” it said.

The Madrid municipal police said in a statement: “Preliminary indications suggest that he was crossing the road at an unauthorised location, but an investigation is currently underway.”

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Hugh Dooley

Hugh Dooley

Hugh Dooley is a news reporter for The Irish Times