Prison death

Brendan Gahan died after being stabbed in custody at Wheatfield Prison on Thursday.

LAST UPDATE | 14 hrs ago

A MAN IN his 40s has been arrested in connection with the death of a prisoner who was stabbed in his cell in Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison on Thursday evening.

He was named locally as Brendan Gahan from Tallaght on Friday.

The inmate was discovered dead in his cell on the 8G wing of the prison, and sources have said the man had suffered substantial injuries, including puncture wounds to his neck.

Gahan was serving a sentence of around two years for possession of drugs for sale or supply.

The man who has been arrested is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a garda station in Dublin.

Investigations are ongoing.

On Thursday, prison officers were alerted to a fight inside the cell, when they discovered the fatally injured man. 

A spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service noted that all deaths in custody are investigated by the Prison Service, the Inspector of Prisons and An Garda Síochána, where circumstances warrant.

The spokesperson added that the cause of death is determined by the Coroner’s Office.

The Irish Prison Service has expressed its condolences to the deceased’s family and friends, and said that the next of kin have been informed.

Gardaí meanwhile have confirmed they’re investigating all circumstances surrounding the discovery of a man’s body in Wheatfield Prison.

A senior investigating officer has been assigned to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the male.

A family liaison officer has been assigned to support the family of the deceased, and the services of the Garda National Technical Bureau have been requested.

A spokesperson said investigating gardaí await the results of a post-mortem to determine the direction of the investigation.

Meanwhile, the Chief Inspector of Prisons confirmed investigators from the Inspectorate’s Death in Custody Investigation Team attended Wheatfield Prison on Friday morning.

With reporting from Niall O’Connor and Ottoline Spearman