Prison officers who had escorted the infamous murderer out of Wheatfield Prison, were seen ushering him straight back into a car
05:00, 20 Apr 2026Updated 08:54, 20 Apr 2026
Wife killer Brian Kearney pictured during temporary release from Wheatfield Prison
Wife killer Brian Kearney’s big day out of prison was short lived – after our photographer was spotted waiting for him.
Prison officers who had escorted the infamous murderer out of Wheatfield Prison, were seen ushering him straight back into a car after this paper was spotted in the west Dublin area on Sunday morning
Kearney (67), who is serving life for the brutal murder of his wife Siobhan who he strangled to death with a vacuum cord in 2006, had been granted the day out on “compassionate” grounds – to visit family at a counselling service in a west Dublin village.
The visit was initially planned for a number of weeks ago, but was cancelled at the last minute. On Sunday this paper was there waiting for Kearney as officers brought him to the so-called ‘neutral’ venue for the now rescheduled visit
However upon exiting the car, Kearney, who was flanked by three prison officers, was quite quickly put back inside the vehicle when our snapper was spotted.
The killer, who had a grey combover and was wearing a blue cheque shirt, then flung a coat over his head as officers drove him back out the driveway and returned him to the prison. The incident means Kearney’s planned visit outside of prison walls was put to a sudden halt.
Wife killer Brian Kearney turned his back when he spotted camera as he enjoyed a short lived day out of prison
Brian Kearney
The incident is now set to be investigated and Kearney is understood to be raging that he was spotted. This paper did not intend to disrupt the activities of the Irish Prison Service staff, who were simply carrying out their duties on an escort that had been sanctioned ahead of time.
However a decision appears to have been made to cancel Kearney’s day out due to our presence at the facility – which is in a heavily populated area not far from the prison grounds.
The services offered at the facility include ‘restorative justice’ as well as services to reunite prisoners with their family members in a more relaxed setting than jail. The move is thought to be an effort to facilitate Kearney, who is being assessed for parole this year.
Wife killer, Brian Kearney pictured on Sunday morning during a temporary release from Wheatfield Prison.(Image: Colin Keegan, Collins, Dublin)
The killer, who strangled his wife Siobhan McLaughlin to death at their home in Goatstown, Dublin 20 years ago, is now on his fifth attempt to gain freedom – and had hoped the session where he was reunited with loved ones could aid in his upcoming meeting with the Parole Board.
The heartbroken family of Siobhan McLaughlin had been informed of the move – though they were not told the exact day or the location in which the visit was to occur. It is understood the family were told the visit was occurring on “compassionate” grounds.
Kearney, who is 18 years into his sentence for the murder which occurred 20 years ago, is said to be seriously ill behind bars – and requires routine visits to the hospital.
18/02/08 – Family members of Siobhan McLaughlin, sister Aishling followed by family, arrive at court (Image: Collins)
Speaking to us earlier this year, Siobhan’s sister Brighid spoke of her outrage at learning Kearney was going to be granted a day out.
“We got a totally cold and callous email telling us that he’s getting compassionate leave from prison with absolutely no explanation at all as to what this means,” Siobhan’s sister Brighid told this paper.
“It has sent shockwaves through the whole family. We received no consultation at all. It was just a short email informing us. Now we’re worried that he could be anywhere. I mean we could bump into him.
The move comes after Siobhan’s family spoke passionately to this paper about their fight to keep Brian Kearney behind bars. Her heartbroken mother Deirdre told us how she blamed her cancer on the killer.
“I have cancer. I blame him. Everything was brought on from what happened to Siobhan. I think about her every day of my life,” Deirdre said.
Siobhan’s family have a scheduled meeting with the Parole Board just next month, as they are forced to once again plead with them to keep Kearney behind bars.
“It’s getting worse over time. I’m getting older and it’s just getting worse. We just stop and think how she was robbed of this marvellous life we have. It’s all gone because he decided in a mad moment to get rid of her,” Deirdre told us.
“It’s affected us so badly and he has no idea how much it has devastated us. It never goes away. I’m going up to the parole board like I did the last time. It’s very important that I see them,” she said.
The devastated mother said she intends to tell the board that if they plan on releasing the ailing killer this time, then they’d better understand how much that will impact her life.
“I’ll tell them that if they intend to leave him out then they better put security at my door because I am terrified,” she said.
“I am terrified and I really mean that. I’m certainly afraid. I’ll never get over what he did and how he walked away from it. I’ll never forgive him for it.”
Kearney’s latest pending parole hearing will be his fourth since he was jailed for life in 2008.
The evil killer murdered his wife because she intended to leave him. The monster strangled Siobhan in her room, then used a Dyson vacuum cleaner flex as a ligature before trying to hoist her over the en-suite door in her bedroom in an attempt to make it look like a suicide.
Their three-year-old son lay sleeping in the next room at the time and Siobhan’s body was later discovered by her family who broke into the bedroom after failing to contact her. The prosecution alleged he killed Siobhan because she was planning to leave him, something that would have placed him under severe financial pressure.
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