*Ennis Garda Station.
A PRISONER ‘went up in a puff of smoke’ and absconded from Garda custody at Ennis Garda Station during a cigarette break, a court has heard.
At Ennis Circuit Court, State Solicitor for Clare, Aisling Casey said that Daniel McCarthy requested a cigarette break while in custody at Ennis Garda Station on November 25th 2024.
Ms Casey said that after finishing a cigarette outside Ennis Garda Station accompanied by a Garda, Daniel McCarthy (28) made a run for it and successfully scaled a closed gate.
Ms Casey said that a Garda gave chase but when attempting to scale the gate fell back and lost sight of the fleeing McCarthy.
Ms Casey said that all local Garda members were alerted and all areas of Ennis town patrolled but Mr McCarthy wasn’t located.
Mr McCarthy’s ‘disappearing act’ at Ennis Garda Station occurred on November 25th last and he remained at large until December 4th when he was spotted by a Garda in Limerick and arrested.
Solicitor for Mr McCarthy, Tara Godfrey said that “when given the opportunity to have a cigarette, Mr McCarthy saw a gap and he left quickly. He ran away rather than sought to hurt anyone”.
On why Mr McCarthy fled, Ms Godfrey said that Mr McCarthy became afraid as he didn’t want to deal with a looming sentencing for an affray offence.
In the District Court, Mr McCarthy of no fixed abode of Ennis, Co Clare received a six month prison term after pleading guilty to escaping lawful custody from Ennis Garda Station on November 25th 2024 which was consecutive to a 32 month sentencing for affray.
At the Circuit Court Mr McCarthy was appealing against the severity of the six month jail term consecutive to the 32 month sentence and Judge Francis Comerford has reduced the consecutive six month prison term to three months consecutive on appeal.
Judge Comerford said that there was nothing wrong in principle with the District Court sentence but taking into account the long sentence Mr McCarthy received in the circuit court for the affray and his youth at the time, he would reduce the escape from lawful custody sentence from six months to three months.
Ms Godfrey said that Mr McCarthy has had significant deprivation and misery in his childhood with his parents passing away when he was twelve. Ms Godfrey said, “He started taking cannabis when he was 13 and he has had a most difficult life”.
