A MISSING prisoner convicted of killing a man with a Samurai sword had to be released with a fine last night after he was arrested in Dublin for being drunk and disorderly.
Stephen Henry (41), from east Belfast, has been missing since Monday after he failed to return to Magilligan Prison in Co Derry following a family visit.
He was arrested by gardaí in Dublin yesterday morning and fined €75 at Dublin District Court for a public order offence. However gardaí could not hold Henry because a European Arrest Warrant had not yet been issued. It could take a week before the warrant is processed.
Henry was arrested after he was thrown out of a Dublin city centre hostel and was mugged.
He was jailed for 13 years in 2006 after he pleaded guilty to murdering father-of-two John Cooke with a Samurai sword in Lisburn in May 2004.
Police issued an appeal on Tuesday, warning the public the prisoner has a "history of violence" and should not be approached.
Offices believed Henry was either in the Craigavon or Belfast area. However, he is believed to have crossed the border on Tuesday.
He was arrested at Merrion Road, Dublin 4, at 8.50am yesterday.
A Garda later told Dublin District Court Henry was arrested for his own safety after he was seen walking on Merrion Road with no shoes and was “completely unaware where he was”.
A defence solicitor said Henry's bag and phone were taken overnight on Thursday. He was intoxicated at the time and it was "a little bit a blur", she said.
He had a brother in Dublin but did not have his number, she told the court.
Although the Garda objected to bail, the judge said the public order offence only carried a fine. Henry pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined €75, to be paid within a month.
