THE family of a Derry man who blinded himself while in jail say an apology will only mean anything if action is taken against staff who allowed it to happen.
Prison Service director general Sue McAllister apologised for the injuries suffered by Sean Lynch during an appearance before the assembly justice committee yesterday.
Mr Lynch, who suffers from mental health problems, permanently blinded himself and inflicted an 8cm cut to his testicles while being held on remand at Maghaberry prison in 2014.
Ms McAllister, who is due to leave her position at the end of this month, was being questioned about a damning report last month by Prisoner Ombudsman Tom McGonigle which revealed that officers watched while Mr Lynch inflicted the injuries.
He said staff complied with a "strict interpretation" of orders on intervention, with Mr Lynch not meeting the definition of a life-threatening situation.
"It seems remarkable that several experienced NIPS (Northern Ireland Prison Service) officers, including a senior officer, all felt it was neither necessary nor appropriate to enter his cell to prevent Mr Lynch from self-harming further,” he said.
Ms McAllister told the committee yesterday she hoped to meet Mr Lynch and his family before she left her post.
She said the days leading up to his "most serious incident of self-harm" were "hugely challenging for everyone - for our officers, our healthcare colleagues, Mr Lynch's family and of course Mr Lynch himself".
“I am sorry for the life-changing injuries that Mr Lynch sustained whilst in our care.”
At the time of the report Ms McAllister said it was the most extreme case of self-harm she had experienced in 30 years working in prisons.
"But this is not about apportioning blame or apologising," she said.
The Derry man’s father, Damien Lynch, last night told the Irish News he would only accept Mrs McAllister’s apology was sincere if it was accompanied by action against prison staff.
“This has changed my family’s life. I am Sean’s carer now and an apology does not change that. It looks as if the apology was forced out of her," he said.
“I would like to see the new justice minister, Claire Sugden, taking action now and making the prison service accountable for what happened."
Mr Lynch’s solicitor, Kevin Casey, also said Ms McAllister’s apology would have been more meaningful had it been made sooner.
“I am still at a loss to understand why it took her a month to come to that decision and why she thought it appropriate to apologise at a parliamentary committee rather than by reaching out to the Lynch family who asked her to apologise on several occasions."
