A 24-year-old man charged in connection with the fatal stabbing of a father-of-two in Cork last month was assaulted in Cork Prison just a day after he was remanded in custody on the charge, a court was told yesterday.
John Brett, Leitrim Street, Cork, had been remanded in custody to Cork Prison on August 28th charged with assault causing harm to Brian McKee (24) at Ballinure Avenue, Mahon, Cork on August 25th.
Yesterday at Cork District Court, Brett's solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher said that concerns he had about his client being held at Cork Prison proved founded as on August 29th, he was assaulted in the jail and suffered an injury to his chest which caused him difficulty breathing.
He said he had raised his concerns with Judge Tim Lucey when Brett was charged at Mallow District Court last week and he accepted fully that a judge had no role in deciding where a prisoner should be remanded, as that was a matter for the prison service.
Judge Uinsinn Mac Gruairc took note of Mr Kelleher's concerns and noted them for the governor of Cork Prison as he granted an application from Insp Ger O'Mahony to remand Brett in continuing custody by consent to appear in court again on September 17th.
Judge Mac Gruairc also remanded a second man, Jason Quinlan, Loughmahon Drive, Mahon, in custody for a month until October 1st on a similar charge of assault causing harm to Mr McKee at Ballinure Avenue, Mahon on August 25th.
Mr McKee suffered a number of stab wounds to the chest during an assault at about 5am and died later that day after emergency surgery.
