Offaly man alleged to have taken prisoner hostage at Castlerea prison

An Offaly man is alleged to have taken a prisoner hostage at Castlerea prison.

The Sunday World has reported that Dylan Coughlan from Clara who was sentenced to 10-years with the final two years suspended for aggravated burglary and assaulting a 70 year old man with a shovel and bat, allegedly took the Castlerea inmate hostage in an effort to be transferred back to the Midland's Prison.

The Irish Prison Service said they do not comment on individual cases and the Gardai say they would not comment on a prison matter.

At Dylan Coughlan's sentencing hearing at Tullamore District Court in 2022, Judge Keenan Johnson described the victim as an elderly vulnerable man who was now afraid to go out at night and feared being on his own at home.

Judge Johnson said Coughlan and his co-accused had armed themselves with a shovel and a bat and carried out the assault at night.

He noted that Mr Coughlan was on bail at the time of the offences on September 1, 2019.

The trial of Mr Coughlan heard how he and the co-accused entered the home of the pensioner at about 5am through a rear window, beat him with shovels and threatened him with a knife.

The elderly man told the court that €700 was then taken from his wallet when the men forced him to go to his kitchen with a knife at his back.

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Judge Johnson said the offences were ''despicable'' and noted that Mr Coughlan and the co-accused both had serious issues with drug and alcohol abuse.

He sentenced Dylan Coughlan to 10 years in prison with the final two suspended.