Killer Anthony Paget claimed legs 'swollen to f**k' and prison wouldn't bring him to hospital before death
The Irish Prison Service is set to launch a review into the death of murderer Anthony Paget, who passed away from suspected pneumonia after complaining that his legs were 'swollen to f**k' in prison.
The Irish Prison Service says it will appoint an external person to review whether earlier medical intervention could have saved murderer Anthony Paget’s life. A report published by the Inspector of Prisons this week, outlined how Paget, who died of suspected Pneumonia in the Mater Hospital on January 5, 2022, after contracting it in prison, complained behind bars of his legs being “swollen to f*ck” weeks prior, and alleging that prison officers wouldn’t bring him to hospital.
Paget (47), who is only referred to as ‘Mr B’ in the Inspector of Prisons report, was just eight months into his life sentence for the horrific stab murder of Aidan McMenamy at Clinch's Court, North Dublin, when he died. Now in an action plan following the Inspector’s report, the Irish Prison Service stated it would act on its recommendation to establish “whether or not an earlier medical intervention in the prison and/or hospitalisation at an earlier stage might have saved his life".
“An external resource will be appointed to conduct a detailed review of the medical care provided to Mr. B,” the IPS stated. In the report published on Monday, the Inspector of Prisons stated how Paget’s son met with a “visibly upset” doctor two days after his father died and that “she had apologised for the treatment afforded to his father while in prison.”
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The Inspector of Prisons stated the doctor has since left the employment of the Irish Prison Service and it was “not able to meet with her.” Paget’s son stated to the Inspector that his father made a number of phone calls to family members complaining that he had a swollen infected leg that required medical treatment, and he had questions about why he did not receive medical treatment at an earlier stage.
The IPS confirmed that Paget was first transferred in a prison van to the Mater Hospital from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin on December 18, 2021, before being brought back to the jail - and was again brought to hospital in a more severe state via ambulance on January 4. The IPS stated that the killer was housed in a single occupancy cell on the A2 landing of Mountjoy and was on protection at his own request “citing an ongoing feud with other persons in the custody of Mountjoy Prison.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time, Paget had no in-person family visits during the time leading up to his passing - but he had daily phone contact with them. The report states that Paget was on a methadone treatment plan throughout this time in custody and that on December 6 he had been placed on a waiting list for an Addiction Counsellor by a nurse.
On December 8th Paget reported that pain in his left knee had increased and he told a nurse he was unable to manage stairs to retrieve his meals without help. The report outlines how the killer was referred to an orthopedic Consultant the following day - and that by December 18 a doctor examined him in his cell and recorded that he had a swollen left leg.
“The doctor noted that the skin was dark in colour, painful and causing discomfort,” the report states. Paget was referred by that doctor to the Emergency Department at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital for deep vein thrombosis investigation.
He left the prison under escort in a prison van shortly afterwards - and at 3:30am on the morning of December 19, he was returned to the prison “without receiving any treatment.” The report states that a treatment refusal form, signed by Paget, was recorded.
The Inspector examined a phone call Paget then had with his sister on that same date in which he said he had waited for 14 hours in A&E and had not been treated. In a phone call on December 18 he told her “my two legs are swollen to f*ck” and that he was in pain.
He also alleged to his sister that the IPS wouldn’t bring him to hospital and stated that he was waiting on an appointment at St James’s Hospital. He also explained that he could not take painkillers due to a long standing liver condition.
On December 27 he described his legs as “big”, “getting huge” and that both his “knees are swollen,” going on to claim he was getting “no help.” On December 29 he could be heard describing his leg to a person in his vicinity as “like an elephant’s trunk”.
On January 4 a pharmacist reported that the officer who unlocked Paget’s cell that morning appeared unwell and “believed he was hallucinating.” The pharmacist also recorded that he had difficulty in understanding questions and recorded that he decided to withhold his methadone treatment fearing that it may exacerbate Paget’s condition.
The pharmacist called the doctor and reported his concerns - and the doctor then met him in his cell and “noted that he appeared jaundiced.” The doctor recorded that Paget “was able to speak but not giving answers that made sense.”
An ambulance was then called for while the doctor in the prison placed Paget on oxygen. He was transferred via ambulance at 11:55. A nurse recorded that on January 5 Paget had developed “severe sepsis and was on “maximum treatment”.
His death was then recorded at 5:25pm that evening.
Paget, who had 47 previous convictions, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but a jury found him guilty of murder by a unanimous verdict. Giving evidence during the trial Candice Paget said her boyfriend Mr McMenamy, was jealous that she was spending so much time with the accused, her estranged husband.
All three were together in her home after drinking, taking heroin and smoking crack cocaine when, she said, Mr McMenamy "got it into his head that something was going on" between herself and Paget. As the row unfolded she said she saw Mr McMenamy reach behind his back, pull out a knife and slash Paget in the face. She stood between the two men to try to stop the fight and she took the knife away.
She said Mr McMenamy then called Paget "out for a knock" and both men went outside where the fight resumed and Paget stabbed Mr McMenamy to death. The jury heard that Mr McMenamy had suffered seven stab wounds, one to the neck and six to the back.
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