A violent prison hostage crisis was defused after prison officers managed to exchange a hostage for a Mars Bar.
Two inmates had reportedly threatened to cut off their victim’s ears with a shiv unless their demands were met.
The five-hour stand-off began at around 3pm on Thursday at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise, Ireland.
Two inmates had taken another one hostage and the prison was placed on lockdown.
A fourth prisoner was also barricaded in the same cell but was reportedly not involved.
“Prisoner demands were unclear, apart from ‘drugs’ and ‘no more sleeping on mattresses’, a spokesperson from the Prison Officers’ association told the Irish Independent.
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The pair also demanded tobacco, Swiss rolls and a Mars bar.
A negotiating team were brought in, and a lengthy discussion to to to define the situation began.
After lengthy negotiations, the team managed to convince the inmate holding the knife to hand it over in exchange for a Mars bar.
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A statement from the prison read: “Shortly before 8.30pm staff forced entry into the cell and removed all four prisoners, meeting considerable resistance from at least two.
“No staff were injured and the prisoners involved received only minor injuries.
“The director-general has commended all staff involved in ensuring that this incident was successfully resolved.
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“Senior management in the Midlands Prison have commenced an investigation into the incident. An Gardai Siochana were notified,” the official said.
Midlands Prison opened in 2000 to add additional capacity to Portlaoise Prison with which it shares some facilities.
It has a capacity of 870 prisoners, divided roughly 50/50 between sex offenders and regular population.
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