Wife killer Joe O’Reilly had to be moved to the Midlands Prison because of his constant “disruptive” behaviour.
O’Reilly, 50, who brutally murdered his wife Rachel at their home in Naul in 2004, was transferred from Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison to the Midlands Prison in Co Laois on Tuesday night. Sources told Dublin Live that his bad behaviour had caused significant problems for other prisoners.
It is understood that following a series of verbal arguments, O’Reilly was identified as being the problem. While he has not been formally punished, sources say the move to the Midlands Prison is a slap on the wrist for O’Reilly - effectively putting him in a “time-out” so that he can maybe learn from his mistakes.
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A well-placed source said: “Unfortunately he’s been a bit of a pain in the arse lately and his bad behaviour has been quite disruptive. He was causing trouble with a number of prisoners and something had to be done.
“The decision was taken to move him to the Midlands, where he’s now been given an opportunity to reflect on his behaviour.” Sources say there has been a frequent “clash of personalities” between O’Reilly and several prisoners in Wheatfield.
While no physical fight had taken place, O’Reilly’s presence in the prison was said to be causing significant problems for other lags. The mother of murdered Rachel Callaly said she hoped the move might teach O’Reilly a hard lesson.
Rose Callaly said: “It might soften his cough now. He will have to realise he won’t get his own way everywhere. I thought he was cunning and he’d keep quiet but if there’s that many prisoners around you can’t fool everybody all the time.”
Rose, who is approaching the 18th anniversary of her daughter’s killing, added that O’Reilly is now showing his true colours behind bars. She continued: “He has a very high opinion of himself. He probably tried long enough to keep out of trouble but everything eats out in the end.
“You have to be what you are and it’s starting to show up now. I think he thought he would have been out of prison by now.” It is understood that yesterday the infamous wife-killer was assigned a single cell and will be given a new job in the prison within the next couple of days.
Sources say his move to the Midlands Prison, where the likes of sex-crazed killer Graham Dwyer and psycho murderer Mark Nash are also housed, will be temporary. It is likely that O’Reilly will be moved to another facility in a number of months and even given a chance to return to Wheatfield if he remains on good behaviour.
It is understood that O’Reilly is not housed on the same wing as Dwyer - but the pair may end up mixing at some stage. O’Reilly and Dwyer, who are among the most infamous of the country’s killers, once met in a holding cell a number of years ago. Dwyer is alleged to have asked his killer counterpart ‘are you the real Joe O’Reilly’.”
Sources close to O’Reilly also previously revealed that O’Reilly thought Dwyer was a “gobsh*te.” In recent times the killer has given up on his freedom bid, instead telling those close to him that he intends to apply for a move to an open prison.
But sources have now revealed that the killer dropped that idea after realising he would not yet be eligible. He is also understood to have told family about his recent prison move - claiming he “doesn’t know” why he was moved.
Tragic Rachel Callaly was brutally beaten to death by O’Reilly in their home in Naul, Dublin, on October 4, 2004. The unrepentant killer was eventually convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2007.
However, since his sentencing O’Reilly has attempted multiple appeals and has repeatedly been able to apply for parole ever since he was seven years into his time in prison. The average life sentence prisoner now serves at least 19 years in prison.
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