The State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, was last night due to carry out a postmortem on the body of a prison officer who died after an incident in Wheatfield Prison in Dublin on Thursday night.
The 41 year old man was one of five officers who dealt with a fight in the recreation area of one of the prison's 16 man units. According to the spokesman for the Prison Officers Association (POA), Mr Tom Hoare, all officers have been trained in control and restraint techniques, designed to minimise injury to officers and prisoners.
Mr Hoare said the officer who died had almost 20 years' service in the prison staff. The prisoner had been removed from the recreation unit and was being carried on the landing, held by both arms and legs, when the officer collapsed.
"There would have been three other officers and a supervisor present. Each would have had a limb and the supervisor would be controlling the prisoner's head." Mr Hoare said the association would await the results of the postmortem before commenting further.