No prisoners in May city marathon

By Johnny Caldwell
BBC News website

No inmates from Northern Ireland's prisons will be taking part in this year's Belfast Marathon, the Northern Ireland Prison service has said.

No prisoners have applied to be released for the marathon

Last year two prisoners, who were both serving life at Maghaberry Prison, stirred up controversy when they were released to participate in the annual sporting event.

This threw up the tantalising photo opportunity of the inmates, albeit flanked by a total of four wardens, running past the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Sir Hugh Orde, who is a regular marathon participant.

In 2002 five prisoners from Northern Ireland's three prisons - Maghaberry, Magilligan and Hydebank - took part in the Belfast Marathon, which is now in its 27th year.

A NI prison service spokesman: "No inmates in the Northern Ireland Prison Service have applied to be released to participate in this year's Belfast Marathon on Monday 7 May.

"Furthermore, there are currently no inmates training with a view to taking part in the event that we are aware of."

Criticism

Reacting to criticism, the NI prison service last year said it was "not alone in allowing inmates nearing the end of their sentence to engage with the community", flagging up that three inmates had also been allowed to run in the 2006 London Marathon.

One of those prisoners released to take part in the marathon last year was believed to be Kenneth Callaghan jailed 19 years ago for the murder of 21-year-old County Down woman Carol Gouldie.

A spokesman for Belfast City Council said that while he could not yet give a precise number of participants, he hoped this year would be "our biggest ever entry, somewhere in the region of 15,000 people across the four events".

The deadline to enter this year's Belfast Marathon is Friday, 20 April.