Jailed sex offender goes to court over kosher food supply

Ray Managh

August 16 2012 04:43 AM

A jailed sex offender wants to bring a High Court challenge aimed at compelling the prison authorities to meet his dietary needs.

Ivan Peter Gan (48), aka Peter Ivan Dunne, claims that he is not being provided with kosher food at Arbour Hill prison in Dublin in accordance with his Jewish faith.

Yesterday at the High Court, Gan, who was not legally represented, sought to bring judicial review proceedings against the governor of Arbour Hill, the Prison Services and the Minister for Justice, aimed at compelling them to provide him with kosher food.

Gan, who converted to Judaism several years ago, also complained about a lack of access to legal representatives, and said that despite making a large number of requests he had been unable to get a lawyer to act on his behalf.

However, Mr Justice Paul McDermott adjourned the case to October.

The judge asked Gan, who, he said, had raised significant issues, to nominate a solicitor to represent him.

After Gan nominated a firm in Dublin to represent him, the judge directed that the firm be provided with the necessary information that would allow Gan properly bring his legal challenge.

Gan is currently serving a five-year jail term in Arbour Hill after he was convicted in Kilkenny Circuit Criminal Court of having sex with a mentally impaired woman.

The offence happened in Kilkenny in 2001, when the Englishman was working in the city.

Allergic

He fled to England but was extradited to Ireland in 2009. Opposing his extradition on human rights grounds, he claimed to an English court that the Irish prison authorities would not provide him with food free from onions, which he is allergic to.

He further claimed that he would not be provided with kosher food and was at risk from republicans. However, his case was dismissed by the English courts.