A man convicted on Thursday of beating his wife to death with a lump hammer was attacked and stabbed three times by up to 10 men in Mountjoy Prison yesterday afternoon. He was sentenced to life for murder.
The man, Goodwill Udechukwu, who claimed he had been found guilty by an Irish jury only because he was from Africa, was attacked as he returned from the exercise yard.
He was stabbed twice in the back and once over the eyebrow. He was taken to the Mater hospital, though the Irish Prison Service described his injuries last night as "not life-threatening".
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell condemned the attack on Udechukwu and asked for a full investigation from Mountjoy governor John Lonergan.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Jim O'Keeffe said the Nigerian should not even have been in Ireland at the time he killed his Jamaican wife, Natasha Gray, in Phibsboro, Dublin, in 2003.
The killing occurred shortly after he was released from prison: "As a Nigerian national with a criminal record, Udechukwu could have been considered for deportation after his release," said the West Cork TD.
"Under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999, the Minister is empowered to deport non-nationals who have served time in prison for offences committed in the State."
Last night, the Department of Justice said Udechukwu received a six-month sentence for threatening to damage property in February 2003, suspended after he entered a bond of good behaviour for three years.
"He was not considered for deportation at that time, as his application to remain in the State, on the basis of his parentage of a child born in the State, was under consideration," a spokeswoman said.
The Department of Justice said last night the Minister had signed a deportation order for Udechukwu on May 19th, and he would be sent back to Nigeria once he had completed his prison term.
"The department is currently in the process of calculating and analysing the number of non-nationals who, as a result of criminal activity, are or will be subject to a deportation order," the spokeswoman added.
Former British home secretary Charles Clarke was forced to resign after he revealed that 1,023 offenders who should have been considered for deportation had been released.
"Five of these had gone on to reoffend and were convicted for drugs offences, violent disorder and inflicting bodily harm, while two also faced rape charges," said Mr O'Keeffe.
Mr O'Keeffe said he has tried and failed for three months to get figures from Mr McDowell. "Serious questions must now be asked about why the Minister is stalling on producing the figures for deportations."
In April, the department told The Irish Times there were 113 non-European Union nationals from 38 countries serving time in Irish prisons for offences ranging from murder to drugs to motoring offences.
