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THE PRISONER WHO escaped from a low-security prison in Cavan while serving time for the manslaughter of a garda had absconded from the same prison before, a report into the incident has revealed.
The news emerged as Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said the decision to put a convicted killer into the minimum-security Loughan House prison was wrong.
Shatter said not enough consideration had been given to the gravity of the “heinous offence” which had been committed by Martin McDermott.
A report compiled by the Irish Prison Service shows that McDermott, 26 – who was serving a seven year sentence for the manslaughter of Garda Gary McLoughlin in Donegal in 2009 – had previously escaped from Loughan House in 2007 while in custody for a previous offence.
He absconded from custody at the low-security unit in November of that year and returned six days later.
The report gives the reasons why Martin McDermott was transferred to Loughan House a second time, revealing that the Midlands Prison where he had previously been in custody was overcrowded at the time, as were Mountjoy and Cork jails. It states:
The Midlands Prison serves as a relief valve for both Cork and Mountjoy Prison during times of severe overcrowding.
McDermott had led gardaí on a high-speed chase before crashing into McLoughlin’s patrol car, killing him.
Shatter also commented on the decision to transfer him to Loughan House, saying:
It was felt that this would facilitate family visits and would have been beneficial from a rehabilitative perspective. Having considered the facts of the case it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that this decision was wrong
The Minister added:
First and foremost, in making the decision sufficient consideration was not given to the gravity of the heinous offence which had been committed. Neither was adequate consideration given to other criteria that should have been taken into account.
The report by the Irish Prison Service found that McDermott had been transferred to Loughan House just twelve days before he absconded on 15 March.
The report also found that McDermott was first noticed missing during a lunchtime check but gardaí and the Irish Prison Service Headquarters weren’t notified until 5.25pm that day.
McDermott is currently in custody in Northern Ireland serving a four month sentence for assaulting a PSNI officer, resisting arrest and criminal damage.
Minister Shatter said he has directed that all necessary steps are taken to ensure that a mistake of this nature does not reoccur.
“In this context, I have been assured by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service that all necessary steps are currently being taken to prevent such a reoccurrence,” he said.
- Additional reporting by Michael Freeman
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Just want to say how brave you are. I lived with my mam who was scziophrenic since she was 23 years old. The meds she was put on turned her into a zombie. She slept some days for 20 hours. In the last years of her life I barely got to speak to her. Nobody will ever get how it feels to see your mam in a state of total confusion, when she didn’t know who she was, or who her children were. The stigma we dealt with as a family will stay with me forever, her illness caused us to turn a blind eye to anything physical that occurred because we didn’t know if it was her or her alter egos. Finally she died 3 days after being admitted to hospital with a massive tumour in her lungs from smoking. She hated doctors and would never go, so it was too late. I watched her die on my 28th birthday 2.5 years ago. I am sending you positive vibes and hope that you can overcome whatever life throws at you. Nobody will understand, unless they have been there or have lived with someone with this cruel illness. I wish you the best of luck.
Very informative and thoughtful point of view.
Excellent excellent
Great article.
Thanks for that article Nicola a very interesting point of view about meds and there affects. Best of luck in the future. Respect!!
Best article on the Journal in months. Well done Nicola. Thoughtful and insightful.
I wish you the best in life for your brave decisions. My Mam suffered from schizophrenia from the age of 23. The stigma we dealt with as a family my whole life has shaped how I feel about people to this very day. The meds she was on left her like a zombie. I never got to have a drink with my mam, go shopping with her on a whim, or just have a “normal” life with her. People will never understand it, and I do feel like I was robbed of all those things that everyone else takes for granted. Her illness was ultimately what led to her downfall, she would not go to a doctors when sick. So the massive tumour that took over her lungs in her final 3 days went un-diagnosed and I got l few hours with her before I had to watch her die on my 28th birthday. The only people who will get what I’m going through are those who know someone with this illness. It destroys lives, it destroyed mine and my family’s. I wish you all the best in life and I think you are so brave. Take care x x
Nicola you’re article is dangerous. It could encourage people who need medication to come off it too quickly. The vast majority of people with schizophrenia need medication. People with schizophrenia have killed themselves and others after coming off medication too soon.
My family member went off her medication (clozaril) and it proved to be an absolute disaster for them.The anxiety attacks,delusions & the hallucinations,came back stronger than ever.Four years later and they are just starting to ‘improve’ again..Be very careful people…
Hi Nicola, how long are you now off medication please?
@Francis Mc Carthy: I totally agree, this article is completely dangerous for society at large. My sister is a schizophrenic and without medicine anyone who is near her is in physical danger. She is also highly educated and able to write as competently as the journalist today, because they have good days. What happens to society when they have a bad day with no medicine…especially someone who drives. My sister drives and had to be ran off the road for everyone’s safety when she decided to take to the wheel without medicine. My god, I am really horrified that this article got any space. Please, please print a responsible article on the subject. For clarity sake, my sister is not special, all schizo’s act this way and worse at some stage if not medicated.
@Jack Bowden and Amy M:
It clearly says she is an exception (a few times) and that she came off them slowly and gradually. Also that she would go back on them if needs be. It doesn’t glorify not taking meds at all. This is a considered piece of writing that may give some hope indeed to others but by no means says just stop taking everything everyone its all good.
Please do not use the term ‘schizos’. Your sister is a person suffering with schizophrenia, one of the toughest metal illness that can effect any of us at any time.
Editor should ensure that reader knows how long a person with schizophrenia is off medication to give some clue to this personal experiment’s effectiveness. I believe that the NUJ has agreed guidelines for responsible reporting of mental health issues.
Thank you Nicola, the voice of reason.
Courageous and honest account. More info on the non-pharma recovery methods referred to please. Others may find that helpful. I wonder often is Ireland’s economic dependence on pharmaceutical FDI, the unhealthiest close ties between senior government ministers (now enjoying numerous sinecures on boards of biotech companies as reward for her efforts) in past and doubtless future governments, the unhealthy relationships including massive junkets between the psychiatry profession in particular, and big pharma, have any causative role in the Irish over medication scenario? Correlation not always causation but..
Regards to the author of this important piece in any event. Doing her bit to help destigmatise mental illness in a country where attitudes towards it range from 19th century to downright medieval.
I have a big interest in the brain chemistry (biochemistry) of mental health. I try to minimise using medication by using nutrient therapy. The reality is that in anybody who has had an episode of psychosis the relapse rate is close to 90% and hopefully you will be one of the lucky 10%. I find that more than 50% with depression can get off meds provided they use the individualised doses of nutrients. Anxiety rarely requires medication long-term if they take their nutrients. Autistic children can do surprsingly well if the chemistry is sorted out in early childhood. The outlook is bad if they leave it until later.
You are promoting quackery – there’s no evidence that autism can be somehow reversed through “nutrition therapy”.
As for depression, sadly the best proven method we have of treating this affliction is through the use of medications such as SSRIs. You seem to think otherwise, do you have any published academic literature to support your claim(s)?
Interesting Ted Talk here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyrqBAICOXE
@Aoife Murphy: thanks for that Aoife. The pere nial question as to whether we are seeing dramatic increases in the incidence of childhood mental illness or an increase in their diagnosis aside, your speaker makes compelling arguments for improvements in nutrition leading to better outcomes.
I always say Home Economics should be as compulsory as Irish English and Maths for all students regardless of gender throughout primary and secondary education. No child should leave school without knowing how to select, prepare, and cook, wholesome and nutritious food.
Our Western diet has changed dramatically since WW2 and not to our good, but rather to the good of the corporates that provide processed sludge. We are sowing the wind and must reap the whirlwind. Diabetic storm incoming and worse besides.
Actually the NICE guidelines recommend psychosocial interventions or CBT first before considering medications for depression
@Tom the Bomb: In this country and others, CBT is ongoing whilst the medication is also being prescribed, not one before the other.
@Edmond OFlaherty: I am replying here as the voting was 4 to 1 against my point of view.I am doing this work since 1999 but went to Sydney in 2006 to get more knowledge. There was about 20 GPs attending the conference and the 2016 meeting was twice as large and also had several consultant psychiatrists attending. You can read about it at http://www.biobalance.org.au. I gave a lecture on this topic to the European GP meeting in Vienna later.Another useful website is http://www.walshinstitute.org. A good book is Nutrient Power by Dr William Walsh PhD. A London University psychiatist phoned me recently and told me that this is the way forwards.
Hey Nicola, So proud of you girl well done! I have bipolar disorder been off medication since 2011 and lead a normal life now with psychological treatment! People who have never suffered with a mental health problem have no right to an opinion on how somebody lives with mental health disorder and even commenting is pathetic because they have no understanding of what its like. Your inspiration girl, people with mental health issues have been hiding for far to long in this country due to stigma and discrimination. Don’t be listening to trolls on this! People are always afraid of what they don’t understand!!
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