A brain-injured killer who was attacked in jail eight months ago is now in a rehab hospital – still guarded by prison officers.
The Irish Mirror has learned that Stephen Kearney (39), who has served his full sentence for manslaughter, still technically remains in custody on remand- despite being critically ill in hospital with no prospect of full recovery – since he was attacked in the yard of Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison last June.
Sources have confirmed that Kearney, of Coultry Drive in Ballymun, who was left in a coma, has now regained consciousness – and has been moved in recent weeks to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire. But he is still understood to be seriously incapacitated, and sources say he is unlikely to ever return to prison.
Prison officers have nonetheless been required to man a 24-hour-a-day post on Kearney for the past eight months, at the expense of the taxpayer – with the bill estimated to be well over half a million euro at this stage. There are now understood to be three prison officers employed to watch Kearney at the rehabilitation centre for the time-being.
This is due to the fact that a District Court case for alleged false imprisonment has not yet concluded – because Kearney has been too unwell. He also has not been able to be sentenced for a separate Circuit Court case in which he had pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and robbery. That court case has been put back to a date in March of 2027 – while the other is due to be heard again in the coming weeks.
Ariel photo of Mountjoy Prison
It is understood that bosses in the Irish Prison Service are now engaged in conversations with prosecutors, with the belief being that if Kearney’s case in the coming weeks is concluded, that he ought to be released from their custody.
However, the family of Stephen Kearney are understood to be very concerned about his future care. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a family member told the Irish Mirror that they cannot comment on Kearney’s ongoing court cases, but said of his condition: “He was moved to the rehab hospital. We’re concerned now for the future. He has been moved to continue his rehabilitation in relation to his physical and brain injury that he has sustained from the assault. Our main priority is where he will end up.”
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The comments come amid a High Court case that has been taken by a family member, on Kearney’s behalf, against the Governor of Mountjoy Prison, the Attorney General, Ireland and the Minister for Justice for personal injury – stemming from the attack which left him in this condition.
A garda investigation into the prison yard attack – in which several prisoners attacked Kearney in the yard of Mountjoy Prison, remains ongoing. Three of the suspected attackers have since been moved to multiple prisons across the country.
Sources previously told the Irish Mirror that Kearney was “braindead” and has no prospect of recovering or returning to prison. Kearney has served a nine-year sentence for the manslaughter of Francis Gallagher (18) at Coultry Road on October 25, 2004.
Gallagher received head injuries and bruises and cuts to his face after a sustained attack where Kearney punched him in the face and kicked him six times in the head. He also stamped on the victim’s head and kicked him in the sides and ribs.
In 2020, Kearney was jailed again for a year after he robbed a shop – and before the attack was also facing a hearing over possibly re-activating suspended portions of his sentence.
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