Fifteen inmates transferred after Mountjoy riots

SOURCE

Fifteen prisoners, including one of the infamous Dumbrell brothers, have been shipped out of Mountjoy prison after a violent riot. The hard core group of suspects behind the mayhem have been transferred out of the Dublin jail to Cork, Limerick, Portlaoise, the Midlands, Castlerea and Wheatfield jails. They include Leroy Dumbrell from Inchicore, brother to Warren and Jeffrey who are serving life sentences for the murder of father-of-six Christopher Cawley.

The fifteen suspected of having direct involvement in the riot were taken out of the jail on Sunday and yesterday as the internal investigation got under way.

Prison officers claim that staffing levels at the timeof the riot - 52 officers against 77 inmates - were inadequate to deal with such a situation and are raising the issue with the Irish Prison service Management.

Injured

One young officer, just 15 months in the job, was badly injured in the violence and is recovering in hospital from serious facial injuries.

Prison officers said he was struck across the bridge of the nose by one prisoner wielding a fire extinguisher and by another across the face with a plank of wood.

The Dublin officer, who plays football with a city GAA side, had several teeth knocked out and his nose and jaw busted.

The 15 transferred are being split up with Leroy Dumbrell going to Cork along with Gary Hayes and Colm Carroll;Mark Byrne,Patrick O'Connell, Zak Ryan and Trevor Bunton have been despatched to Portlaoise;Willie O'Dwyer Nilla Healy and JP Kelly to the Midlands; Stephen Whelan Kieran Dixon,Derek Keogh and Lee Williams to Wheatfield and Albie Lonergan to Limerick.

A trail of destruction was left in the wake of the riots which only ended when officers broke into the pitch-black room where the inmates were holed up and overpowered rioters.

Five officers and two inmates were hospitalised as a result of the vicious attacks on the prison's D wing.

Riot officers were called in at 6pm on Saturday to bring the near hour-long chaos under control.

Photos show the carnage caused during the riot which saw the recreation room soaked with fire extinguishers.

Toilets and the prison computer room were also trashed in the violence.

The violent criminals also ransacked a fabrics room where prisoners make garments for charities.

Leroy Dumbrell is believed to have been one of the ringleaders in the riot.

Recently the Court of Criminal Appeal (CCA) increased by two years the prison sentence imposed on him for assaulting a man, who lost the sight in his eye from the attack,

Dumbrell (21) of Emmett Road, Inchicore, Dublin, had 57 previous convictions and was on bail for another assault when he attacked Nigel Reid in the face, causing him to permanently lose the sight in his left eye.

In December 2006, Dumbrell was convicted by a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court jury of assaulting Mr Reid causing him serious harm and robbing his mobile phone on July 11, 2004.

Judge Frank O'Donnell ordered that Dumbrell serve the eight years, consecutive to a five-year sentence imposed on him in October 2005.

He suspended the last five years on condition he remain under the supervision of the probation services for two years upon his release.

His brothers Warren and Jeffrey Dumbrell are serving life sentences for the murder of Christy Cawley beaten to death in front of his young son.

His younger brother Leonard Dumbrell has recently been released from jail a sentence imposed for a number of offences.