A prison officer has been stabbed by a convicted murderer in an attempted escape from custody today.
The Irish Mirror has learned that killer Graham McEvoy is accused of stabbing a prison officer with a shiv inside a prison van while on a visit to a VHI Swiftcare clinic in Dublin. Sources say McEvoy is accused of stabbing the prison officer - leaving him with serious facial injuries.
It is understood brave prison staff battled with McEvoy and managed to subdue him as he attempted to escape from the prison van. In a statement to Irish Mirror the Irish Prison Service said: "We are aware of an incident that occurred on an escort visit from Mountjoy Prison.
Read more: Prison officer injured after being stabbed in face in horror incident
"Gardai have been informed and it is not appropriate to comment further.”
McEvoy is now facing a garda probe into the incident and punishment from prison bosses. The injured prison officer was immediately attended to by healthcare staff before being brought to hospital for further treatment.
Sources say he received serious facial injuries and that the incident is being treated as extremely serious by authorities.
“This was an attempted escape,” a source said. “Thankfully due to the brave actions of this prison officer and staff, the prisoner was subdued and brought back to prison.
“He was left with very serious facial injuries and it could have been so much worse.” In 2017 McEvoy was jailed for life for the brutal stabbing of Paul Curran (23), who he stabbed to death at a flat complex in Crumlin, Dublin, on July 16 2016.
McEvoy had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but was found guilty of murder by a jury after a week-long trial.
The victim's heartbroken mother, Elizabeth Curran, said: “Christmas will never be the same again.” McEvoy, a low-level drug dealer, stabbed Mr Curran at least six times.
During garda interviews, McEvoy described Mr Curran as his “best friend”, but his mother said he was no friend of her son and instead he was a bully.
McEvoy has 22 previous convictions for drugs, attempted robbery, and motoring offences.
Defence counsel Barry White SC told the court that his client had a troubled childhood and finished school at 14. He was living a chaotic lifestyle and had a drug problem.
After the verdict, McEvoy told his family: “Don’t worry, it’s only a few more years.”
Mr White said that this was not bravado. His client’s family was “extremely distressed” and he was trying to ease their distress.
The trial heard from Deputy State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan that the largest wound to his torso was nine or ten centimetres deep and caused his lung to collapse, which ultimately killed him.
His legs were also cut three times in an upward direction, suggesting he was trying to get away rather than scuffling on the ground when he was attacked.
McEvoy claimed he went to sell Mr Curran cocaine but when he asked for the money, Mr Curran pulled a knife.
He says that he took the knife and turned it on him in self defence, but Mr Curran’s injuries showed defensive wounds and that he was trying to get away.
Ms Curran described her son as soft and gentle, and insisted she did not believe he was carrying a knife.
A teenage girl also claimed, in evidence, that McEvoy called her earlier that day looking for Mr Curran and he blamed him for almost getting “a stripe”, meaning a slash across the face.
Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed the mandatory term of life imprisonment.
In a statement gardai confirmed an investigation.
“An Garda Síochána is conducting an investigation following report of an incident from the Irish Prison Service Mountjoy.
"A Prison Officer received facial injuries in the course of this incident which occurred earlier today.
"An Garda Síochána has no further information available at this time.”
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