The High Court has reserved judgment in an application by convicted murderer Charlotte Mulhall for permission to bring a challenge aimed at securing a transfer from Limerick Prison back to the Dóchas Centre woman's prison in Dublin.
In her action, Mulhall claimed she was transferred to Limerick from the Dóchas Centre in Mountjoy Prison on 24 December 2018, two days after she was seen by a prison officer performing a beauty treatment on another prison officer.
She disputed claims that anything inappropriate occurred and that she was in an allegedly compromising position with the female prison officer in question.
She also said she has never been given the opportunity to address the prison authorities over what she says actually occurred.
Charlotte and her sister Linda Mulhall were convicted in 2006 of the killing of their mother's boyfriend Farah Swaleh Noor in March 2005.
The dismembered body of Noor, who had a history of being extremely violent towards women, was found dumped in the Royal Canal, near Croke Park, some days afterwards.
Following a high-profile trial at the Central Criminal Court Charlotte, who was aged 21 years at the time of the killing, was found guilty of murder.
Linda was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison and has subsequently been released from custody.
Charlotte Mulhall claimed that as a result of the move to Limerick her Dublin-based family, for a variety of reasons, have not visited her since.
The lack of visits, she said, has caused "great stress and upset to her and her family members".
She said in a sworn statement to the court that "I am lonely and sad" due to "the lack of visits from my family" and "I miss my dog who was part of [a] canine programme I was undertaking prior to my transfer".
As a result, she has brought judicial review proceedings against the Irish Prison Service, the Governor of Limerick Prison, the Minister for Justice & Equality, Ireland, and the Attorney General seeking a return to the Dóchas Centre.
The court previously directed that her application for permission to bring the challenge be heard on notice to the State respondents.
Represented by Conor Power SC and Ciaran Kelly Bl, Mulhall is seeking various orders, including one directing the respondents to return her to Dublin, as well as an order quashing the decision to transfer her to Limerick.
The respondents, represented by Anne-Marie Lawlor SC, oppose the application on grounds including that the application for leave is out of time.
The prison service also says that permission should not be granted because it is entitled to make the transfer and that Mulhall had told the prison authorities that she was happy in Limerick.
The matter came before Mr Justice Anthony Barr today, who reserved his decision following the conclusion of submissions from both sides.
