A robber who once took a fellow inmate hostage and vowed to behead him in an ISIS-style execution has been released from prison.
Our exclusive pictures show Thomas Lennon, 29, arriving back at his home in Crumlin, South Co Dublin following his release from prison yesterday.
The dangerous thug, who was serving a three sentence for robbery, also had time added to his sentence when he and seven other prisoners seized control of an exercise yard in Dublin’s Cloverhill Prison in 2015.
During that shocking incident Lennon took a prisoner hostage and threatened - “You think ISIS are bad? We are going to behead him.”
His 2016 court case heard how the eight rioters ripped up goalposts and used them to smash the windows of an overlooking guardroom, forcing staff inside to flee in fear of their safety.
Having unhooked razor wire from the office roof with one of the posts, Lennon wrapped it around the turnstiles at the yard entrance and warned officers, including the Governor, that he was “going to wreck this f***ing place”.
Prosecuting barrister Geraldine Small told how the thug later demanded that two named officers should be handed over to the mob.
And as the stand-off continued, the rioters seized a 21-year-old Afghan inmate.
Lennon beat the captive and another prisoner stabbed him with a shiv made from Perspex.
Giving evidence, Garda Donal Daly said Lennon was heard threatening to “jab” any staff member who came into the yard, and after taking the prisoner hostage shouted: “You think ISIS are bad? We are going to behead him.”
Gda Daly added that when riot officers stormed the yard, the captured lad “made a break” for safety and was later treated for superficial cuts to his face.
In all, 11 prisoners were hospitalised following the July 29, 2015, incident, and the cost of damage to the prison was put at €33,748.
Lennon made no admissions when he was arrested in January and was later charged with violent disorder, false imprisonment, assault causing harm and criminal damage.
Lennon pleaded guilty in 2016, saying he had been left ashamed by CCTV footage of the riot, which included video of him kicking a female prison officer.
The Crumlin career criminal, who has 34 previous convictions, had been on remand awaiting sentence for robbery at the time of the riot.
He received a three-year term for that offence in December 2015 and had been due for release in May 2018.
In a statement read out to court, he said: “I am disgusted with myself. The other offences were to feed my cocaine addiction. There is no reason for this and I am sorry.”
Defence barrister Olan Callanan added his client had asked him to specifically apologise for his behaviour towards the hostage victim.
He explained that Lennon had been a star pupil at school before he began hanging around his old housing estate and taking cocaine.
By the time he was 17 he was committing crimes to fund his habit. In the past six years, all but six months had been spent in custody.
Judge Melanie Greally described the offence as “wanton destruction and violence” targeted towards officers and prison property.
She said the “terrifying” assault on the hostage had racial undertones, and added prison staff were exposed to direct physical danger.
