Sunday 1 November 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 22977Assault (prison brawl) · Co. Laois · 31 Dec 2022

Probe into prison brawl involving Aaron Brady in Portlaoise

A brawl broke out on the C4 landing of Portlaoise Prison on New Year's Eve 2022, beginning with an altercation between Aaron Brady and Sean Groome. An investigation was launched to determine whether alcohol was smuggled into the prison or whether inmates consumed homemade 'hooch' during the incident.

  1. Reported11 Jan
  2. Arrested
  3. Charged
  4. In court
  5. Verdict
  6. Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
13 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatA booze-fuelled New Year's bash broke out into a fight on the C4 landing of the max-security prison (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe scrap began with a row between Brady and Sean Groome (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatSean Groome is serving 15 years for an assault in which he stabbed his victim 16 times and set him on fire (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatBrady is alleged to have struck Groome during the incident (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatBrady is serving life in prison for the capital murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatBrady has been formally punished by Irish Prison Service authorities over the incident (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatBrady is facing a P19, meaning access to the prison tuck-shop, phone calls and visits will be curtailed (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatGroome targeted Murphy while acting on misinformation that his victim was a garda informant (irishmirror.ie)
  • whatThe victim incurred severe knife injuries and burns to 96 per cent of his body (irishmirror.ie)
  • causeBrady's family claimed the incident occurred after he and other prisoners were discussing the Justice4AaronBrady campaign (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceBrady was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for robbery at the Credit Union in Lordship, Co Louth on January 25, 2013 (irishmirror.ie)
  • sentenceJudge Martin Nolan reduced the headline sentence to 15 years (irishmirror.ie)
  • otherThe Irish Prison Service said it cannot comment on individual prisoners (irishmirror.ie)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 11 Jan2023
    Reportedirishmirror.ie, first report
    Probe into jail brawl involving Garda killer Brady and if inmates drank ‘hooch’

    Reports the prison brawl, the Brady family's claim that it was triggered by discussion of the Justice4AaronBrady campaign, Brady's P19 punishment, and the investigation into whether alcohol was involved.

    suspect, Aaron Brady, male, named, irish (judged from name)Aaron Bradyvictim, Sean Groome, male, irish (judged from name)Sean Groome