Violent criminal, 38, jailed for face slashing attacks among 4 prisoners hospitalised after overdose at Mountjoy prison
A VIOLENT criminal serving a lengthy sentence for slashing the faces of a man and a woman in separate blade attacks was hospitalised with three others after overdosing behind bars.
The Irish Sun has learned that thug Jonathan Cummins, 38, was
An Irish Prison Service spokesman said: "The Irish Prison Service is working closely with the
"Extra vigilance is being taken across the prison, and an information campaign for prisoners around the dangers of consuming contraband has commenced."
Read more in News
Cummins is serving a 16-year sentence after targeting a man and a woman with a knife in one of the busiest hubs in
On the day, he slashed a man across his face from mouth to ear while also attacking another woman and injuring her in Dublin's north inner city.
He then walked up Moore Lane and pounced on a homeless woman in an unprovoked assault.
The woman - who has since passed away from unrelated causes - was also slit from her mouth to ear.
MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN
The Irish Prison Service says it is committed to preventing the access of contraband, including drugs into prisons and this continues to be a "high priority", as they invest in new technologies and measures.
The spokesman added: "Prison staff have increased the use of random and intelligence led cell searches on a daily basis. The Irish Prison Service Operational Support Group work closely with their colleagues in An Garda Síochana, nationally and locally, on a regular basis and the sharing of intelligence has led to target searches resulting in the seizure of contraband.
'GREATER FOCUS'
"Our Canine Unit carries out searches around the prisons, including a greater focus on searching deliveries into prisons.
"There is a free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text line (
086 180 2449
) which is operational. Prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public with information on the trafficking of prohibited items into our prisons can pass on that information in the strictest confidence."
The IPS is also working together with the gardai as part of Operation Throwover in a bid to tackle organised crime gangs targeting prisons with drugs, weapons and
While netting capable of withstanding fire-bombing - which saw packages set alight and dropped on the nets to burn through - are being rolled out across the system.
1
Jonathan Cummins was one of the four men who fell gravely ill at Mountjoy Prison
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Buddhist monk guns down cleric in temple after being ‘irritated' by him not shutting toilet door and playing loud music
A BUDDHIST monk gunned down a cleric at a temple after he became enraged by his fellow brother playing loud music with the bathroom door open. Pious monk Phra Niwat, 36, was found brutally murdered with four gunshots wounds to the neck, right arm and chest at the monastery in Thailand. 3 A Buddhist monk fatally shot a fellow monk at a temple in Phuket Credit: Muang Phuket Police Station 3 The monk was killed at Wat Khao Rang temple Credit: Alamy 3 Police found the killer locked in his room Credit: Alamy His agitated killer, 47-year-old Phra Jaruek, fled to his room moments after the Local police inspector Jaruwit Juabkwarmsuk said four spent .38 calibre cartridges and a bullet casing were found at the scene. After fleeing to his room just before 6am on Sunday morning, police surrounded the area and called on him to surrender. The guilty Cops made another shocking discovery after finding a loaded .38 revolver and 14 rounds of ammunition in his bedroom. Killer Jaruek told police he had allegedly been the target of a prolonged bullying campaign orchestrated against him by Niwat. He said the victim had provoked him on the morning of the fatal shooting. Jaruek said: "Phra Niwat went into the bathroom without locking the door and played something loudly on his phone." Most read in The US Sun The holy man said of his He explained that the annoying noise provoked him to take the "gun from my room". Orthodox priest's 'throat slit in front of family' in Russia 'terror' attack Jaruek said: "I shot him, and reloaded another six rounds." The crazed monk was detained immediately by local police. He was escorted to the ecclesiastical district governor of Muang Phuket. There, the governor formally expelled the rebellious cleric from the prestigious monkhood. Jareuk is now facing legal prosecution. The temple has yet to comment publicly on the incident. Wat Khao Rang temple is located on the island holiday hotspot of Phuket. It is known for its association with the late monk Luang Pu Supha, who founded and revitalised numerous temples. Read more on the Irish Sun The temple also features a large golden sitting Buddha statue and is decorated with carvings depicting Thai myths. Located near the Khao Rang Viewpoint, it has become a popular spot for both locals and
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Four Irish arrested in Spain after cops smash drugs gang smuggling cocaine & hash hidden in machinery to Ireland & UK
FOUR Irish nationals have been arrested on the Costa Blanca after Spanish cops smashed a drugs gang. The Nearly 85kgs of coke was seized in the operation, as well as two guns. The cocaine was stashed inside a drilling machine due to be shipped to Police sources say another 340kgs of cannabis resin linked to the It had been sent via a company in the south-eastern READ MORE IRISH NEWS Spanish cops are said to have launched the probe on June 2 after a transport firm based in Murcia reported the arrest of one of its drivers in France a few days earlier. He was lifted following the discovery of the cannabis resin hidden on his lorry, bound for A Murcia court authorised detectives to put trackers on the company's vehicles. And cops were monitoring as one of the four suspects dropped off the industrial drilling machine due to be shipped to Dublin. MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Police then discovered the cocaine inside, which they removed before allowing the shipment be sent to Ireland on June 13 so Spanish cops then swooped, lifting the four Irish nationals across the Costa Blanca. The suspects, who have not been named, were freed on bail after appearing in Cops have yet to make any official comment amid the ongoing criminal probe. But further arrests have not been ruled out. In March a Spanish-Irish investigation into the Dublin gang known as The Family resulted in the seizure of around €30million of drugs and the arrests of 20 people. They hid the narcotics in vehicles that were fitted out with secret compartments. 1 The criminal operation was smuggling cocaine and hash hidden in industrial machinery to Ireland and the UK Credit: Getty
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Northside jail rates spark ministerial review as prison plans face local opposition
The Minister of State for rural and community development has asked officials in the department to examine the findings of a major Irish Examiner investigation into who is being jailed in Cork and why. Jerry Buttimer said it was 'disconcerting' to read how, despite decades of targeted government investment in areas of the city officially classed as 'disadvantaged,' these areas still account for the highest number of jail terms imposed — and that this needs to be examined. The analysis of almost 1,500 jail terms imposed in Cork courts over the last five years found that seven northside suburbs were in the top 10 for the number of jail terms imposed. These areas align closely with parts of the city classed as 'disadvantaged' or 'very disadvantaged' in the 2022 Pobal Deprivation Index. These areas have higher rates of unemployment and lone parenting, and lower rates of school completion and third-level participation. The Irish Examiner analysis also found that people living on the northside received, on average, longer jail terms than those with an address on the southside. It revealed that homeless people received almost a quarter of the jail sentences handed down in the city courts over five years, and that addiction or substance abuse was cited in almost three-quarters of the cases analysed. Theft, assault, public order, and drugs offences were the most frequently mentioned in the city courts, with men accounting for 87% of all jail terms. Men's sentences were, on average, twice as long as those imposed on women. Mr Buttimer congratulated the Irish Examiner for the investigation, describing it as 'an important piece of work.' Jerry Buttimer said it was 'disconcerting' to read how, despite decades of targeted government investment in areas of the city officially classed as 'disadvantaged,' these areas still account for the highest number of jail terms imposed. Picture: Daragh Mc Sweeney While he highlighted several positive examples of family and youth projects involving the Irish Prison Service, local resource centres, and the Cork ETB aimed at addressing recidivism, he acknowledged there is still a major problem. 'I've spoken to officials in my own department in community rural development on how we can ensure that there is, with Pobal, a piece of work done so that we can ensure that the investment we are putting in is paying dividends, in terms of people not being institutionalised in prison,' he said. 'We also have to work with different organisations to ensure there is a pathway to education, to safer streets, to rehabilitation from drug and alcohol misuse. 'But it is disconcerting to see that despite the vast sums of money spent by Government over generations, over decades, there is a map that illustrates a clear issue that we have to have a clear conversation on. 'I've asked people in my department to look at that as well.' The research comes as opposition grows on the city's northside to recent government plans to repurpose the old Cork Prison building to provide around 300 new prison spaces. Tánaiste Simon Harris said the government will engage with the local community on the plan, but stated that his 'high-level instinct' is that the State's prison capacity must be increased—and quickly. That increased capacity, he said, would provide the space for education and training programmes aimed at tackling the revolving door problem in the prison system. 'Providing adequate prison space, having it properly staffed and adequately resourced, provides that space or an environment within the prison where there can be a focus on ending the revolving door, by saying to people, how are you going to get your life back on track,' he said. 'Our population has grown and grown very significantly in recent years. 'We in the Oireachtas voted to increase the sentencing - that people who carry out heinous crimes should pay in terms of the time in prison, and that does require extra prison spaces. 'The minister for justice has an important role to do in bringing that extra space on track as quickly as possible. 'Having said that, any process has to engage with communities. 'Any process has to be conscious of the views of communities, and this government will absolutely engage with the community in relation to that. 'But we want to make sure our streets are safe, we want to make sure crime never pays, and one of the greatest deterrents to crime is people knowing there is enough prison capacity and if I commit a crime, I'm have a decent chance of going to prison." Read More From northside to southside: What your address means when the gavel falls in Cork
