Killer Graham Dwyer is so confident of winning his murder appeal next year that he has assured fellow inmates this Christmas will be his last spent behind bars.
Midlands Prison sources revealed that Dwyer is now devoting all his spare time to his upcoming Court of Appeal challenge to his conviction for the murder of Elaine O'Hara (36) in 2012.
His appeal was expected to be heard early in the new year but it could now be delayed until later in 2017.
The Cork-born architect has assured his fellow Midlands Prison inmates that he won't be behind bars for Christmas 2017.
He even joked to one inmate that he has already picked out the restaurant where he will celebrate his release from a life sentence.
Dwyer is now devoting up to six hours a day to studying the grounds for his appeal.
His sole social outlets are playing cards with a small circle of inmates and availing of the prison library.
His family continue to visit him on a regular basis and Dwyer has maintained a letter writing campaign to those friends and former colleagues who have not severed links with him.
However, Dwyer's confidence over his appeal and ongoing high-profile has irked some other prisoners.
Dwyer, who is referred to as Prisoner 88335, has clashed with several inmates in the Midlands Prison.
He was attacked by a serial rapist last summer after he bluntly refused to allow the man into an ongoing poker game.
In another incident, Dwyer was punched in the face after confronting a different rapist on the E3 landing of the jail.
While the killer has a number of acquaintances in the prison, several of whom he has helped with education projects and who he socialises with, others are scathing of him.
"There are some who respect him [Dwyer] for keeping his head down and trying to get on with life in prison. He has been a model prisoner," one Midlands Prison source said.
"But there are others who don't like his high profile or his confidence that he will be released next year. Some are just jealous of the attention."
The Midlands Prison, where most of Ireland's murderers and rapists are detained, has an inmate population of more than 870.
Dwyer is a keen letter writer, though his access to the internet and films is restricted. He also adheres to a strict fitness regime in prison.
His trial in March 2015 ranked as one of the most high profile murder trials in Irish judicial history.
His appeal is likely to centre on a number of forensic, evidential and technical issues.
Irish Independent
No comments:
Post a Comment