Prison officer may have faked injury

A prison officer in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, is suspected of setting up a fake scenario in which he claims to have been pricked by a used syringe in order to win compensation, The Irish Times has learned.

The matter is the subject of a Garda investigation, and an internal inquiry is also being conducted on behalf of governor John Lonergan.

The same officer had previously been at the centre of an investigation in which it was believed he was the author of a letter which contained threats against himself and his family. The officer claimed the letter had been written by an inmate.

However, the prison authorities believed the detail in the letter went beyond what any prisoner could have known. They also believed the handwriting was that of the officer. No formal action was taken against him on the basis of insufficient evidence.

The latest case involving the alleged bogus needle injury took place at Mountjoy last month. The officer has been on sick leave since.

He claims to have sustained the injury when he placed his hand on a palm-reader device which allows for the automatic opening of gates.

The officer claims when he placed his palm on the device a syringe had been attached to it by an inmate who had melted the plastic section of the syringe onto the palm reader panel.

In a formal letter of complaint he says he did not see the syringe and that the needle broke his skin.

Many inmates use syringes for intravenous drug-use. A significant number of these are HIV positive, resulting in a risk of infection to officers.

A syringe was recovered at the scene, and the prison authorities began an investigation. Initially it was believed an inmate had placed the syringe on the palm reader but a more comprehensive investigation has since taken place. Prison CCTV footage has also been reviewed. In the hour before the incident no inmate was seen in the area of the palm reader. Up to 30 prison officers used the device without incident.

A spokesman for the Irish Prison Service said it was satisfied no inmates had tampered with the palm reader.