{"id":357261,"date":"2026-03-21T04:58:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T04:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/357261\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T04:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T04:58:13","slug":"i-cant-breathe-boys-cellmate-describes-how-drug-dealer-died-hours-after-urging-nurse-to-send-him-to-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/357261\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I can’t breathe boys’ – Cellmate describes how drug dealer died hours after urging nurse to send him to hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the report, seen by this paper, Devlin\u2019s cellmate was interviewed and claimed he was first complaining of \u201chaving difficulties with his throat<\/p>\n

Michael ‘Skin’ Devlin. <\/p>\n

A prisoner has told in harrowing detail how he watched his cellmate die – hours after he allegedly asked to be sent to the hospital.<\/p>\n

The Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) has today released a lengthy report into the death of convicted drug dealer Michael \u2018Skin\u2019 Devlin, who died hours after complaining of breathing difficulties in his cell in Dublin\u2019s Cloverhill Prison in the early hours of February 21, 2024.<\/p>\n

Drogheda native Devlin (50), who infamously escaped Shelton Abbey open prison in Arklow, Co Wicklow in June 2020 before being returned to custody, was coming to end end of his 10 year sentence for possession of \u20ac1.3M worth of cannabis when he died from a suspected bacterial infection which swells the larynx – in the early hours of the morning.<\/p>\n

The report, anonymized as \u2018Mr D\u2019 (which this paper understands pertains to Devlin), however outlines that medical and staff accounts at the prison differ in key parts from the account given by the criminal\u2019s cellmate – who watched him die.<\/p>\n

In the report, seen by this paper, Devlin\u2019s cellmate was interviewed and claimed he was first complaining of \u201chaving difficulties with his throat,\u201d before activating an \u201cemergency light\u201d in his cell where he then requested to see a nurse at 8:15pm. However the cellmate claimed that the prison officer said \u201cthe nurse was busy with committals and would come up after.\u201d<\/p>\n

This differs to accounts made by the prison officer on duty at the time and the nurse, who later claimed the incident did not appear immediately urgent and that Devlin agreed to see a GP in the morning.<\/p>\n

However, according to the cellmate, Devlin whose breathing was \u201claboured\u201d saw the nurse at 10pm and asked to be sent to the hospital. The cellmate said Devlin was told to take two paracetamol but \u201cyou could see his neck was swollen on his left hand side.<\/p>\n

Devlin, according to the cellmate, allegedly told the nurse \u201cwhat the f*ck is paracetamol going to do, my neck is swollen, I can\u2019t breathe\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

General view of Cloverhill Prison in Dublin(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A general view of Cloverhill Courthouse and Prison in Dublin(Image: Niall Carson\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

The cellmate claimed he went to bed but was woken when Devlin was banging the cell door at around 1am and saying \u201cBoys I can\u2019t breathe, help me, help me,\u201d while pacing the floor of his cell.<\/p>\n

According to the cellmate, the nurse arrived at the cell about 20 minutes later and had what he described as \u201coxygen\u201d with her on this occasion. He claimed that Devlin told the nurse at this stage: \u201cI can\u2019t breathe, I want to go to hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse asked Devlin where his asthma inhaler was, he claimed, and he was attempting to tell the nurse that he could not breathe with the face mask on, but the nurse was telling him to stop talking.<\/p>\n

The cellmate further claimed that after taking Devlin\u2019s blood pressure the nurse tried to give him a liquid but he said \u201cit\u2019s not going down, it\u2019s stuck in my throat.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the nurse left the cell, the cellmate claimed he watched Devlin trying to get air from the window and he was “plaguing us saying I can\u2019t breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI jumped down out of the bed and went over to the cell door and put the alarm on and started banging the door for the Officer to come back\u201d he told OIP investigators. The cellmate said when an officer arrived Devlin was \u201cgoing pure white from the head down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The officer went away then came back and said the medic had already seen him and there was nothing she could do\u201d, the cellmate claimed. After this he claimed that Devlin \u201cstarted going blue and purple from the neck upwards,\u201d and began sliding down the stairs of the bunkbed to his knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reached for him and put him on his side and got a pillow and put it under his head. I was going to do CPR but seen blood on his tongue. I went back banging the door again, [a cellmate] was back banging the door too\u201d the cellmate said.<\/p>\n

After a few minutes he said the prison officer returned to the cell with the nurse but \u201cyou could tell (Devlin) was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was on the floor holding his hand saying \u2018stay with us [\u2026.]\u2019 but you could tell he was gone\u201d the cellmate said.<\/p>\n

According to the OIP, the claims made by the cellmate are at \u201csignificant variance, in certain respects, to the notes made and\/or accounts given by some of the IPS staff regarding their interactions with Mr. D on 20 to 21 February 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nurse in her initial notes said that she had attended the landing and spoke to Devlin at approximately 10pm and he had told her it \u201cfeels like tonsils are enlarging\/becoming painful [but] nil other concerns voiced\u201d.<\/p>\n

She said she provided paracetamol for pain relief and placed him on the GP list for review the following morning. In her initial post-death report to the Prison Governor the nurse said Devlin was \u201cin no obvious signs of distress and was agreeable to wait for a while before I attended A Division\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cloverhilll Prison<\/p>\n

Further clinical notes by the nurse at 3:11am on February 21 recorded that she was called to the cell at 12:55am when Devlin complained of a sore throat, difficulty breathing and that she applied oxygen therapy and took his blood pressure.<\/p>\n

According to her account, having administered \u201cBrufen liquid\u201d to Devlin, the nurse left the cell at 1:25am and was called back five minutes later. Upon arrival he was lying on his back on the floor of the cell, unresponsive and with no pulse discernible.<\/p>\n

The nurse, along with the officers present commenced CPR on Devlin but to no avail before a defibrillator was brought to the cell but no shock was delivered when a rhythm could not be found. Attempts were made to resuscitate the prisoner. The prison doctor ultimately arrived at the cell at approximately 3:59am and pronounced him dead by 4:05am.<\/p>\n

The report notes that a \u2018Critical Incident Meeting\u2019 occurred at the prison on February 29th during which the nurse recalled that initially while reviewing new committals in reception she was made aware that she was requested to see Devlin, but that it was \u201cnot urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n

A prison officer provided a detailed recollection of his involvement in the response to the medical emergency, saying he recalled that around 9:20pm Devlin had complained to him of a \u201csore throat\u201d but said he \u201ccould wait a while\u201d when the officer asked him if he needed to see the nurse immediately.<\/p>\n

The officer informed the meeting that he then rang the nurse and informed her of Devlin\u2019s first request at approximately 10:20pm. He went on to inform the meeting that at 12:45am Devlin used the cell system again – but he \u201cseemed to be ok\u201d when complaining of a sore throat.<\/p>\n

In concluding the report the OIP made several recommendations to the Irish Prison Service – including having two nurses on duty at night. The OIP stated that it had in the past \u201c repeatedly highlighted the dangers of nursing under-staffing at night, especially in large committal prisons such as Cloverhill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. D experienced an \u2013 ultimately fatal \u2013 medical crisis at night, while the one nurse on duty was intermittently otherwise engaged in reviewing new committals in reception.<\/p>\n

These are precisely the kinds of circumstances that have previously led the OIP to recommend that nursing cover at night in Cloverhill Prison be increased,\u201d it said.In response the Irish Prison Service said it is in the process of reviewing nursing cover at night as part of the Joint Task Review process.<\/p>\n

The OIP also recommended that prison staff, including recruit prison officers, should receive cardiac first responder training. The IPS said in response that the response time from the prison healthcare team to a prisoner is likely to be much less than the response time from the HSE to an ambulance call-out.<\/p>\n

However it said that first responder training is provided to Gym Officers, PSEC Staff and Open Centre staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt should be recognised that in the prison setting, a nurse is one of the first members of staff on the scene in an emergency situation. Basic Life Support and First Responder Training is a core element of the skillset of all nurses employed in the prison service,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

Finally the OIP said that the IPS should improve its procedures for the monitoring and supervision for prisoners who show signs of serious medical decline, especially if they exhibit symptoms such as difficulty breathing, distress, or a history of requesting medical attention repeatedly.<\/p>\n

The IPS responded that \u201cThe Irish Prison Service Healthcare team provide 24\/7 care to all prisoners in custody. Continuous observation and emergency responses are provided for as required.\u201d<\/p>\n

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