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A Nigerian man who was jailed for life in Dublin for killing his wife has been stabbed three times in the city's Mountjoy Prison.
A Nigerian man who was jailed for life in Dublin for killing his wife has been stabbed three times in the city's Mountjoy Prison.
Goodwill Udechukwu, 32, is being treated in the city`s Mater Hospital following the attack by a number of inmates earlier today.
The Prison Service confirmed that his injuries are not life threatening and that gardai have launched an investigation.
Udechukwu was sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday for murdering his Jamaican born wife Natasha Gray in Dublin in February 2003.
He bludgeoned her to death with a lump hammer before dumping her body upside down in their baby`s cot.
Dublin`s Central Criminal Court heard that Udechukwu committed the murder shortly after his release from prison for assaulting gardai.
The case has highlighted significant gaps in the state`s system to deport non-national criminals, an opposition TD warned today.
Fine Gael`s Jim O`Keeffe said as a Nigerian national with a criminal record, Udechukwu could have been considered for deportation by Justice Minister Michael McDowell after his release from prison.
"Under Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999, the Minister is empowered to deport non-nationals who have served time in prison for offences committed in the State," he said.
"I have raised this issue in the Dail on at least ten occasions.
"In a series of Parliamentary Questions I asked the Minister how many non-national criminals he has considered each year for deportation. On each occasion the Minister has been unable to provide this information, and three months later this information is still not forthcoming."
The opposition party`s spokesman on justice highlighted how former UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke was forced to resign after he revealed that 1,023 offenders who should have been considered for deportation had been released back into the community.
Five of these had gone on to re-offend and were convicted for drugs offences, violent disorder and inflicting bodily harm, while two also faced rape charges.
Mr O`Keeffe accused Mr McDowell of stalling on producing figures regarding the number of non-national criminals being considered for deportation.
"On May 4 Minister McDowell confirmed that due to the significant increase in non-nationals he had introduced the more systematic approach whereby the case of every non-EU national imprisoned is brought up for consideration," continued Mr O`Keeffe.
"The question arises as to how he exercised his powers under the Act prior to the recent introduction of this systematic approach."
Ms Gray, a 25-year-old mother of two young, died from severe head injuries during the attack at her home in Royal Canal View, Royal Canal Bank, Phisboro.
Throughout the case Udechukwu maintained his innocence.
He claimed in the court that he had been convicted unanimously by a jury because he was black and they were Irish.