Prisoner caught with two mobile phones on same day 

24th October 2022

A young man was caught with a mobile phone in prison twice on the same day, a court has heard.

Luke Yates (21) had his prison term extended after he appeared before Judge David McHugh at Blanchardstown District Court.

The judge sentenced Yates to two months in prison consecutive to a sentence he is already serving

The defendant, of Maplewood Avenue in Tallaght, Dublin, admitted possession of a mobile phone in Wheatfield Prison in Clondalkin.

Garda Simon Clarke said prison officers found a phone on October 6 last year. A second mobile phone was found later that same day.

The judge said it was an aggravating factor that Yates was found with a phone, and then found with a second phone a couple of hours later.

The court heard the defendant had 50 previous convictions, and was coming to the end of a sentence. He was due to be released next month.

Defence solicitor Simon Fleming said there were particular pressures in a prison and “people sometimes may not be the proprietary owner” of the phones.

Mr Fleming said Yates, a father of two, had co-operated fully with prison authorities.