THE transfer of prisoners from Mountjoy Prison to courts or other prisons is to be reviewed in the light of the escape of Michael Cahill on Sunday. The Garda search continued yesterday for Cahill (33) who, armed with a syringe, escaped while being transferred from Mountjoy to Cork.
The governor of Mountjoy, Mr John Lonergan, who is investigating the escape, said procedures would have to be reviewed. He said Cahill was regarded as a low security prisoner because he was due for release in February.
It is understood that Cahill's wife is ill. He is a brother of the late Martin Cahill, known as the General. He was serving a 4 1/2 year sentence on a drugs conviction.
Mr Lonergan discounted the theory that a violent fracas in the prison on Saturday, in which Cahill became involved, may have been staged. He said Cahill did not know at that stage he was going to be transferred to Cork.
One of the matters to be investigated is how Cahill managed to have a syringe full of blood. He held the syringe to the throat of one of the three prison officers escorting him. They unlocked his handcuffs and he ran away. He tried to flag down some passing cars and then ran across fields near where the M50 motorway joins the Naas road.
The Prison Officers' Association has called for more protection for its members. It suggests the introduction of pepper gas and leg shackles.