SEAN LEAMY'S TRAGIC END IN CO CLARE AND TULLA PRISON HORROR

In a disturbing development at Midlands Prison, Sean Leamy, a convicted sex offender from Tulla, Co Clare, was found dead in his cell under suspicious circumstances, prompting a detailed investigation by the Inspector of Prisons. The report revealed that Leamy, aged 61, may have suffered a violent death, with evidence indicating he sustained a blow to the head prior to his demise.

Judge Michael Reilly, who reviewed the case, expressed serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding Leamy’s death. Notably, he criticized prison authorities for failing to properly preserve the scene of the incident, which could hinder a thorough investigation. The management at Midlands Prison was also scrutinized for their apparent negligence in their duty of care, especially considering the decision to move Leamy into a double cell with a significantly younger inmate, despite his fragile health and previous conditions.

Leamy’s cellmate, a 31-year-old inmate with a history of false imprisonment and considered a “volatile prisoner,” had reportedly set up a makeshift still within the cell to produce illicit alcohol, commonly known as “hooch.” The inmate’s activities and the presence of the still raised questions about the safety and supervision within the prison. CCTV footage from the day of Leamy’s death showed numerous prisoners visiting the cell, seemingly to partake in drinking the illicit alcohol, which further complicated the scene.

Leamy, a graveyard caretaker from Tulla, Co Clare, was serving a six-year sentence for sexually assaulting young boys over a period spanning from 1978 to 2005. Additionally, he was serving a concurrent two-year sentence related to a “graves for sale” scam, in which he failed to pass on over €20,000 in plot fees to Clare County Council, money he had received from grieving families. Despite investigations by Gardaí into his death two years prior, no charges or prosecutions resulted from the inquiry.

According to the report, Leamy suffered head injuries that were not self-inflicted. The coroner’s findings indicated that he died from cardiac arrest triggered by blunt force trauma to his head and trunk. Leamy was discovered unconscious in his cell at approximately 7:15 pm on February 12, 2013. Despite efforts to revive him, he was declared dead at the scene. His health was already compromised, and he had been housed in a single cell before being transferred against his wishes to a double cell on another wing of the prison just 17 days prior to his death.

Leamy’s health issues included asthma, and he was a non-smoker and non-drinker. His new cellmate, however, was a chain-smoker and known for producing illicit alcohol, raising concerns about the safety and supervision of vulnerable prisoners. The report also highlighted that the scene of the death may have been contaminated between the time Leamy was found and the arrival of Gardaí, as no prison personnel were assigned to preserve the scene.

In light of these findings, Judge Reilly recommended that elderly and long-term prisoners should be housed in single cells to prevent such incidents. He emphasized that prison authorities must be fully aware of their legal obligations to safeguard the health and well-being of inmates. Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald issued a statement affirming that steps had been taken to address the concerns raised in the report.

Leamy’s criminal history also includes a notorious case from May 2012, where he was sentenced to six years in prison for sexually abusing five boys aged between seven and 14 over nearly three decades. Judge Carroll Moran described the victims’ suffering as a theft of their childhood, condemning the ongoing abuse from 1978 to 2005 as “really scandalous.”

Leamy, a long-standing member of the Tulla Pipe Band and a retired clerk of Clare County Council, pleaded guilty to 21 counts of indecent and sexual assault. He also admitted to 49 counts of theft related to the sale of burial plots worth more than €20,000. The sentencing for the theft charges was scheduled for July 2. Victims of his abuse expressed profound trauma, with one stating, “This man stole our youth from us,” and another sharing, “My innocence was stolen by Sean Leamy. I carried around this secret. I was completely traumatised. My voice was silenced with all this anguish and pain. My spirit and character were broken.”