Jailhouse killer Brian Veale stabbed prison officer with pen during attack on two warders

During the attack in the Midlands Prison's 'National Violence Reduction Unit' on July 21, 2019, Veale punched one officer in the jaw before stabbing a second officer in the leg with a pen.

Tullamore Circuit Court heard this week how the frenzied attack, which lasted four minutes, resulted in prison officers David Glynn and Michael McGrath missing several weeks of work and how Michael McGrath's daughter suffered nightmares that her father would be attacked again on his return to the prison.

Outlining the facts to the case, prosecutor Will Fennelly B.L told how Veale - who has 113 previous convictions including one for murder, nine for assault and a series of public order and attempted robbery related offences - was incarcerated in the National Violence Reduction Unit at the time of the assaults.

"He was being taken from his cell for the purposes of a routine search when he turned and delivered a punch to prison officer David Glynn in the area of the jaw," he said.

"Other prison officers then attempted to restore order and as prison officer Michael McGrath went to the aid of prison officer Glynn he was stabbed in the leg with a pen causing him injury."

Mr Fennelly said gardai were informed and an arrest warrant was issued on September 6 for the purposes of removing Veale from the prison for questioning at Portlaoise garda station.

However, prison staff subsequently indicated to gardai that it would not be possible to remove Veale from the prison for questioning as a result of his prisoner profile and his accommodation in the Violence Reduction Unit.

CCTV evidence was harvested which captured the incident in full.

Garda John McGuinness of Mountrath garda station confirmed he had travelled to the Midlands Prison to speak with Veale, but the inmate declined to give a statement other than to say he did not believe the incident constituted a 'section 3 assault.'

Garda McGuinness confirmed he obtained CCTV of the incident which showed how the 'unprovoked attack' on the officers lasted between three and four minutes.

Victim impact statements from both prison officers were read by Mr Fennelly.

In prison officer Michael McGrath's statement, the officer wrote said: "During an altercation with Brian Veale, as we were trying to restrain him, he stabbed me in the lower leg."

Prison officer McGrath said after attending A&E the wound became infected and he needed a strong course of antibiotics to treat the infection.

In prison officer David Glynn's statement, he described Veale's assault as 'unprovoked' and outlined how it had caused him to miss two months of work.

Veale's most recent previous conviction prior to Thursday was for the murder of fellow inmate Graham Johnson in the kitchen of Cork Prison on May 16, 2015.

He killed Mr Johnson by stabbing him through the heart with a carving knife.