Inmate dies at Midlands Prison

Ellen O'Donoghue

An inmate has died at the Midlands Prison in Co Laois.

In a statement to Newstalk, the Irish Prison Service said, "as with all deaths in custody, the Irish Prison Service, the Office of the Inspector of Prisons and the Gardaí" are investigating the circumstances.

It has not confirmed a cause of death, which will be determined by the Coroners Office.

However, The Irish Times reported that the prisoner died as a result of a suspected drug overdose.

They said the inmate was understood to have been in his 30s and was discovered in his cell on Sunday morning, having last been seen alive before breakfast before being discovered unresponsive later in his four-man cell.