Violent burglar back on streets after serving extra time for brutal assault on inmate

Sunday World

3 days ago

Violent house-breaker tucks into fast food after prison release
A violent burglar is back on the streets after serving an extra six months in prison for a brutal assault on another inmate in Mountjoy.
Dylan Jones (24) celebrated his release from Cork Prison this week with pals and posted videos to a social media account after spending six years behind bars.
In prison since he was 18 for an aggravated burglary in which a deaf woman was robbed, he served extra time for attacking a prisoner who later died in an unrelated attack.
He emerged from Cork Prison carrying two bags to be welcomed by friends and tells them: 'How do I feel after six years? The fresh air even tastes better.'
Dylan Jones tucking into a burger
Another video captioned 'first proper food in 6 years fresh home' shows him and a group of friends enjoying a burger and chips at a restaurant.
His release from his original sentence was delayed by the extra six months he received for what was described in court as a 'cowardly, callous' attack on another inmate.
Jones and William Ward 'ganged up on' Robert O'Connor (34) and kicked him as he lay in a 'foetal position' on the floor of a cell in Mountjoy in 2022.
Two days later, Mr O'Connor died after being attacked by another inmate, David Dunne, who was convicted of murder in 2024.
Both Jones and Ward had pleaded guilty to violent disorder at Mountjoy Prison and were sentenced to six and five months.
Details of the attack were given in evidence at Dublin District Court by a garda witness who told how officers responded to shouting coming from a cell on D Landing.
Dylan Jones walking from Cork Prison
The door was being held shut by inmates and as they forced entry, Ward and Jones were seen kicking a prisoner who was lying on the ground in a foetal position.
The victim was found to be bleeding from the face and his right eye was not reacting normally to light when he was examined by prison medics.
He refused to go to hospital and did not make a complaint.
The victim was 'unfortunately subject to a separate assault' two days later that did not involve Jones or Ward and he died as a result of that incident.
The court heard Jones had enlisted to join the Irish regiment of the British army before he went into custody shortly after his 18th birthday and has now spent his whole adult life in prison.
Dylan Jones
News in 90 Seconds - June 26th
Jones was 'a young man in a very volatile environment', his defence solicitor said in court.
Jones was 18 when he went into prison after being caught in the home of a deaf and non-verbal woman, where he had brought an axe and tape.
The woman saw Jones on the landing after getting out of bed and knew it was him even though he was wearing a scarf across his face.
She had previously taken him in after he had begged her for a place to stay, saying that he was homeless at the time.
An axe that she normally kept in the shed was found in another room along with tape, which saw him charged with aggravated burglary.
He was found in possession of the woman's phone when he was searched after being spotted on his way back to his own home.
A year earlier he was caught hiding in a house with a Stanley knife.