Eugene Hickey secures acquittal in prison assault case captured on CCTV

Eugene Hickey represented a prisoner who refused to walk into his cell and tried to explain that he was entitled to remain outside due to privileges earned. The incident that then took place was caught on CCTV. He remonstrated with officers and was taken to the floor. An issue arose as to whether the technique that was used was an approved method. The defendant resisted. Another prisoner came to his assistance. Both were charged with the assault on prison officers – a total of 7 officers were said to be victims and made statements to that effect. The incident happened in April 2020.

His client was advised to plead not guilty and after a long history of court appearances, during which Eugene Hickey maintained his argument about the use of an unapproved technique in restraining the defendant, the prosecution finally offered no evidence in February 2023 – only 3 days before the case was set for another trial fixture.