A man involved in a siege at Mountjoy Prison in 1997 has been jailed for six years by Judge Dominic Lynch. Judge Lynch said the culpability of Stephen Galvin was very close to fellow rioter Edward Ferncombe (27), Harelawn Drive, Clondalkin, who had been locked up for 23 hours a day since the riots.
Galvin (25), Kilmore Road, Knocknaheeny, Co Cork, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to false imprisonment during the siege. Eamonn Seery (34) of Coultry Road, Ballymun, has also been jailed for his involvement in the riot.
Det Insp Hubert Collins earlier told the court that five prison officers were held hostage, threatened with strangulation and had blood-filled syringes held to their throats. Six prisoners held the prison officers hostage for 52 hours when their planned peaceful rooftop protest went wrong.
They had encountered a solid concrete ceiling after one of them bored through a false ceiling in the separation unit.
Det Insp Collins told Mr Desmond Dockery, prosecuting, that two prison officers were tied back-to-back on a chair, with a rope made up of shoelaces around their necks. The rope was connected to a door and a radiator so that if anyone opened the door, the hostages could have been strangled or at least seriously injured.
Weapons used by the prisoners included a syringe filled with infected blood, a makeshift syringe filled with a blood-like substance, iron bars and a knife. The iron bars consisted of table legs from one of the cells.
Det Insp Collins said their motivation had been to get on to the roof of the recreation area to high light conditions in the prison, alleged ill-treatment by some prison officers, and a demand for transfers. The siege ended following negotiations involving prison staff, gardai and officials from the Department of Justice.
Mr Paul McDermott SC, defending, earlier told the court that Galvin had been incarcerated since he was 16. His client was not involved in the "heavier aspects" of the incident and did not participate in the syringe attack.
Judge Lynch said he had read the victim impact reports for the five prison officers involved in the riot which showed adverse effects like injury and depression.
He had to have regard for rehabilitation and considered a letter that was furnished on behalf of Galvin, noting the progress he had made in education while in prison. Psychiatric evidence was also considered.