Thug who tortured teen slashes two prison staff

A VIOLENT criminal, jailed for torturing a 14-year-old with a cheese grater, has slashed two officers with a makeshift blade in an attack on prison staff.

Alan Ellis (25, inset), who was sentenced to six years for the attack on the teenager, is deemed one of the country’s most dangerous and psychotic criminals.

Ellis, who has been described as “deranged” by experts, has a long history of violence.

He tied his 14-year-old victim to a radiator with a flex, poured boiling water down the boy’s trousers and skinned his knuckles, knees and fingertips with a cheese grater.

Ellis also stabbed a prison psychologist in the throat and threatened to kill him.

Because of his violent and unpredictable behaviour, Ellis had been on a high security ‘barrier-handling’ regime in order to protect prison officers.

But prison sources say he was removed from that regime in the past year despite staff concerns.

At 8am yesterday, Ellis came out of his cell in the Challenging Behaviour Unit of Mountjoy Prison and slashed the two officers who were providing him with his breakfast, jail sources said.

“One was cut above the eye and across the side of the head and on the arm. The other was slashed on the hand,” they told the Irish Independent. Both men had to be treated in hospital and are currently off work.

The attack was reported to gardaí and is also being investigated by prison authorities. The latest violent incident has drawn harsh criticism from the Irish Prison Officers’ Association (POA), which represents officers in the jail. “We are asking how a prisoner with a proven track record for serious violence against prison officers was taken off a specific regime that was implemented to protect staff,” said Jim Mitchell, deputy general secretary of the POA.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) confirmed an incident had taken place in which two prison officers were injured, and that the matter had been reported to gardaí in line with protocol, and was being investigated.

Sharp

“No act of violence against our staff is acceptable or tolerable,” said the director general of the IPS, Michael Donnellan.

In March last year, Ellis was sentenced for attacking his doctor, Ronan Mullaney, at Mountjoy Prison on October 23, 2014.

Ellis lunged at Dr Mullaney and tried to push a sharp object into his neck.

The doctor fended off the attack as best as he could but Ellis still managed to puncture his neck beside his Adam’s apple.