Early jail release for Burke defended

The Prison Service has defended its decision to release former minister Ray Burke two days early from Arbour Hill prison.

A spokesman said the decision to release Mr Burke from Arbour Hill on Sunday was taken "to avoid a fuss".

"There was huge interest in his release and we decided it wouldn't be fair to other prisoners and their visitors," he said.

Arbour Hill is home to a small number of prisoners, including sex offenders whose court proceedings would have been heard in camera, he pointed out.

The spokesman said it wasn't unusual for prisoners to be allowed out a day or two early at the end of their sentence. "He served 99.9 per cent of his sentence," he said.

Mr Burke had already qualified for full remission for good behaviour, which saw his six month sentence reduced to 4.5 months.

During his incarceration, the former minister for foreign affairs - prisoner 33791 - worked in the prison Braille unit and occupied a single-unit cell with a toilet and TV.

Previous high-profile jail releases, in particular that of former Fianna Fáil TD Liam Lawlor, attracted massive media attention. On one occasion in 2001, Mr Lawlor was spirited out of Mountjoy Jail in a gardener's van to avoid waiting journalists.

Mr Burke was sentenced last January on tax offences. Last year, he pleaded guilty to failing to declare income totalling almost €150,000. He could still face further charges for obstructing the work of the planning tribunal, which found in 2001 that he received numerous corrupt payments from business friends during a lengthy political career.