Prison siege sentences appealed

The Director of Public Prosecutions has lodged an appeal on the grounds of leniency against the sentences on two men convicted in relation to the Mountjoy Prison siege.

Eddie Ferncombe (27) and Eamonn Seery (34) were given three years and two years respectively for their part in the 52-hour siege.

Five prison officers were taken hostage by six prisoners during the incident, which happened in January 1997. Handing down sentence, Judge Dominic Lynch said he had taken into consideration a guilty plea by both men and their efforts at rehabilitation. Seery's involvement was said to be not as great as Ferncombe's.

The prisoners took hostages after they tried to stage a rooftop protest and were trapped by a concrete ceiling in the prison's separation unit.

Two of the prison officers were tied back-to-back on a chair with a rope made of shoelaces around their necks. The prisoners used a blood-filled syringe, iron bars and a knife to threaten the officers.

Only one of the five officers has returned to work since the siege. Two have retired on medical grounds and another two are on leave, unable to return to work, and are being paid pension-rate pay.

The Prison Officers' Association reacted furiously to the sentences and the Mountjoy branch staged unofficial action, delaying the unlocking of prisoners from their cells the following day.

The POA met the Minister for Justice last month, after which a statement was issued in which Mr O'Donoghue promised better consultation between management and prison officers on health and safety matters.

The DPP lodged the appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal on Friday and the case is expected to be heard shortly after Easter.