Man sentenced for prison officer assault

A Ballynanty man who is currently serving a jail sentence for armed robbery has been handed down another nine month concurrent sentence after he assaulted two prison officers in Limerick prison last July.

29-year-old Zachery Coughlan was jailed for 15 years in 2000 by a court in England but was repatriated to Ireland last year where he was serving out his term.

On July 13th prison officers tried to confiscate contraband from a prisoner when they claimed Mr. Coughlan struck them with a scrub brush and began kicking and punching. Both officers required medial treatment after the attack. He was transferred to Wheatfield prison following the incident.

Speaking for his client today, Solicitor John Devane asked the court to consider transferring Mr. Coughlan back to Limerick prison claiming the accused was being victimized by Limerick gang members while at Wheatfield.

Judge Tom O’Donnell imposed a nine month jail sentence to run concurrently with the 15 years already being served.

The man's mother spoke out after the attack saying, “He was thrilled to be near home so why would he do this. He has worked so hard to get back here from England”