Mountjoy prisoner seen slumped before alarm raised, inquest hears

Colum Carroll died from heroin intoxication in his cell while serving 16-year sentence

A Cork man who died in prison from heroin intoxication was seen slumped against a vanity screen in his cell 15-minutes before the alarm was raised, an inquest has heard.

Colum Carroll (40) from Riverstown, Glanmire in Co Cork was found collapsed in his single cell at Mountjoy Prison in the early hours of August 30th, 2013. He was taken to the Mater Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

He had been serving a 16-year jail term for possession of €4.5 million worth of ecstasy and cocaine.

The inquest in Dublin Coroner’s Court previously heard from deputy state pathologist Dr Michael Curtis that Carroll died as a result of heroin intoxication.

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On the second day of the inquest, prison officer Sean Brennan gave evidence that he checked Carroll’s cell at 12.15 am. He said he saw Carroll “sitting on the side of his bed with his head resting against the vanity screen of his toilet cubicle” and he “appeared to be asleep”.

Mr Brennan said he kicked at the door to try to rouse Carroll to get into his bed. The prison officer said he had no concerns at this point.

Mr Brennan told the inquest that he returned to the cell at 12.30 am, and found Carroll in the same position. He said that he could not get a response from Carroll and at this point he raised the alarm.

‘Not uncommon’

Asked why he had not been concerned at first on seeing Carroll lying against the vanity screen, Mr Brennan said it was “not uncommon” to come across prisoners sleeping in unusual positions, especially in a prison environment where drugs are involved.

The inquest also heard that Carroll had engaged with prison drug treatment services. Shay Fagan, team leader of the addiction counselling service in Mountjoy, said that in August 2012 Carroll expressed an interest in doing an eight-week drug treatment programme in the medical unit.

The inquest heard that Carroll later applied to be transferred to the Training Unit, an open prison attached to Mountjoy, but was refused. He subsequently discussed with his counsellor the effects of being “statute barred” and how he believed it was “blocking” him from progressing.

Mr Fagan said that Carroll was later approved for the drug treatment programme but “could not see the point” if he could “not move forward as he saw it”.

Solicitor for Carroll’s family Yvonne Bambury told the inquest that “statute barred” is a provision of the Misuse of Drugs Act under which certain prisoners are precluded from the “normal facilities” that would be available to other inmates.

“It means you serve the entirety of your sentence without the possibility of temporary release for good behaviour or for attendance at treatment centres,” Ms Bambury said.

Asked by coroner Dr Brian Farrell what the public policy consideration is behind this, Ms Bambury said the legislation was brought in “to create draconian conditions in relation to people convicted of certain types of offices as a deterrent”.

An issue arose regarding a syringe pictured by a Garda scenes examiner which none of the witnesses, including investigating Garda Robert Doorley, could recall seeing in the cell on the night. The family’s legal team also requested to hear from the nurse who first treated Carroll following his collapse.

The inquest was adjourned for further hearing on April 10th.