Prison officer arrested after ‘drinking pints at lunch before jail crash’

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Prison officer arrested after allegedly ‘going for pints’ on lunch break before crashing into wall outside Dublin jail

Today at 02:30

A prison officer has been arrested after allegedly drinking pints on his lunch break and then crashing a car into a wall outside a Dublin jail.

Gardaí are investigating the single-car incident that happened at the Cloverhill and Wheatfield campus on St Stephen’s Day.

The driver has been charged with dangerous driving and will appear in court in two weeks’ time.

The Irish Independent understands the prison officer and a number of colleagues were returning from a lunch break when the crash happened.

Emergency services were alerted to the incident on the Cloverhill Road shortly after 2pm.

The car crashed into a wall at a pedestrian entrance to the prison campus.

Significant damage was caused to the vehicle, but no injuries were reported.

The driver allegedly failed a breathalyser test at the scene and was subsequently arrested for road traffic offences.

Gardaí are also awaiting the analysis of samples taken from the driver to determine if further charges relating to driving while intoxicated should follow.

Inquiries to establish the events leading up to the crash are continuing, while a dash-camera in the vehicle will also be examined.

“The car was badly damaged, a front wheel and bumper were destroyed and there was a lot of damage to the side of the car as well,” a source said.

“It’s fortunate that not just those in the car weren’t injured, but also other road users.

“People could have been walking out of the prison at the time”.

A garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí are investigating a single-vehicle road-traffic collision that occurred shortly before 2.30pm on December 26 on the Cloverhill Road in Clondalkin, Dublin 22.

“No injuries were reported. The driver of the vehicle, a man in his 40s, was arrested at the scene for a number of road traffic offences and taken to a garda station in Dublin. He has since been charged and will appear before Blanchardstown District Court on January 11.”

A spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service said it does not comment on matters relating to any individual staff member.

“The Irish Prison Service sets high standards in respect of its staff and requires that all staff carry out their duties with integrity, commitment and professionalism,” they said.

“The vast majority of staff adhere to these standards at all times. In circumstances where the conduct of a staff member does fall below the high standards expected, this is treated with the utmost seriousness in accordance with the civil service code of discipline.”