Prisoner had phone to ring his girlfriend, court told

 21st April 2022

A prisoner caught with a mobile phone on two occasions was in a difficult relationship at the time and was trying to contact his girlfriend, a court has heard.

Jamie McBride (22) was handed a one-month sentence by Judge David McHugh, which is consecutive to a four-year sentence which he is currently serving.

The defendant, with an address at Lindisfarne Avenue in Clondalkin, admitted possession of a mobile phone in Wheatfield Prison on September 10, 2020 and again on October 13, 2020.

A garda witness told Blanchardstown District Court that the phones were seized, on both occasions, by prison officers during a general search of the prison.

McBride co-operated and handed over the phones.

The court heard that McBride has 27 previous convictions and received a four-year sentence for robbery in 2019.

Defence solicitor John O’Doherty said there was “nothing sinister” in McBride having the phone, and he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

He said McBride, a father of two, was in a “difficult relationship” with his girlfriend at the time, and was using the phone to contact her.