Gardaí search for escaped prisoner from Cavan jail

Gardaí are searching for an escaped prisoner who walked out of an open jail in Cavan yesterday afternoon.

John Paul Duncan with an address in Tallaght, was handed an eight-year sentence in 2010 following the discovery of a multi-million euro drugs haul in Saggart in 2007, but was moved to Loughan House open prison on Tuesday to serve out his final two years ahead of an early release.

The 30 year-old, who was caught in possession of nearly €3 million worth of cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy at a west Dublin apartment, had previously attempted to escape from Garda custody in 2010 while being led into Tallaght courthouse from a prison van.

The Loughan House facility is one of two open detention centres in the State which operate under a more lenient security regime than regular prisons. Inmates are afforded more time outside their cells, and containment structures such as perimeter walls and fences are kept to a minimum.

Prisoners are recommended for transfer to an open facility after assessment by Irish Prison Service (IPS) personnel who deem them to be suitable for lower security arrangements. Mr Duncan had been serving his sentence in Castlerea Prison in Roscommon up until this week.

While most prisoners “embrace the challenge” of such a transfer, a handful grasp the opportunity to escape, according to a spokesperson for the IPS.

“In the main, most prisoners who go to an open prison obey the rules, and obey the conditions of their transfer. But, as happens from time to time, we do have prisoners who decide not to obey the rules and abuse the trust that’s been put in them.”

Once a prisoner has escaped, it then becomes a matter for the gardaí, who return the escapee to a regular security prison once retrieved.

According to figures compiled by the IPS, there were nine instances of absconding from open prisons last year, which represents a dramatic decrease from cases in 2009.

The IPS is currently implementing a policy whereby more inmates are transferred to open facilities to finish out the closing stretch of their sentences.

This latest case comes three months after the high-profile escape of Ballyfermot criminal Lee McDonnell, who broke free from Garda custody in Inchicore after officers left the van in which he was being held to buy food from a chip shop.

He was recaptured and returned to the Midlands Prison.