They didn't expect to be jailed, but security sources reveal the exact reason why the Chawke siblings can expect to get out of jail... and just how soon that might happen

Published: 22:32, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 22:32, 18 July 2026 The disgraced children of publican Charlie Chawke could be out of jail ‘well before Christmas’ due to chronic overcrowding in our prisons. Sources this weekend said Alison and Bill Chawke will ‘probably’ be released early from prison because of the ‘likelihood of them not reoffending’. Alison, 41, and her 31-year-old brother Bill were convicted and sentenced this week for the vicious assault of two innocent men without provocation at the four-star Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare, Co. Limerick on November 9, 2023. The court heard the siblings attacked Gerard Cox and John McHugh, both in their 50s, punching and kicking them and, at one point during the attack, gouged the men’s eyes. Judge Fiona O’Sullivan sentenced Alison Chawke to two years and two months, with the final 14 months of the sentence suspended after taking into consideration her guilty plea and previous good character. The judge sentenced Bill Chawke to two years and six months, with the final 12 months suspended after taking into consideration his guilty plea and prior good character. Judge Fiona O’Sullivan sentenced Alison Chawke to two years and two months, with the final 14 months of the sentence suspended after taking into consideration her guilty plea and previous good character However, a security source this weekend noted that, despite their lengthy prison sentences, they will ‘probably’ be released early. Another source noted the jailed siblings will ‘most likely’ serve less time behind bars because they are not considered to pose a risk to the public, it is their first offence and the chance of them reoffending is small. They told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘I would say they will both be out of prison well before Christmas. ‘They will then be required to sign on in a Garda station and the prison for the duration of their sentences.’ Last year, the MoS revealed how the number of inmates being offered temporary release had risen dramatically over the past two years as a result of chronic overcrowding in our prisons. Figures obtained at the time revealed dozens of prisoners in jail for serious offences – including attempted murder – were being temporarily freed to ease the overcrowding crisis. Figures obtained under Freedom of Information legislation last summer confirmed 46 prisoners in jail for attempts or threats to murder, assault, and harassment were given temporary release by prison authorities. They were among hundreds of criminals convicted of drug offences and theft who were temporarily released to free up spaces in the chronically overcrowded prison system. Overcrowding in our prisons has continued to soar.  According to the latest Irish Prison Service figures, a total of 5,796 prisoners were in custody on Friday. Almost 500 of these prisoners were sleeping on mattresses on the floor, while a further 555 were on temporary release. The figures reveal current prison capacity is now at an alarming 122 per cent. The figure from Limerick’s female prison, where Alison Chawke is spending her first weekend, is even worse. The judge sentenced Bill Chawke to two years and six months, with the final 12 months suspended after taking into consideration his guilty plea and prior good character It is currently at 168 per cent of its bed capacity, while the male prison, where Bill has been incarcerated, is at 121 per cent capacity. A source said of the current overcrowding levels: ‘Almost all prisons, aside from the open ones, are well over capacity. ‘There are loads [of prisoners] now out on temporary release who are signing on at Garda stations around the country instead of being inside.’ Temporary release is provided to prisoners who are released from custody for a specific time and reason based on their behaviour while in custody.  Some of those given temporary release require strict supervision and monitoring for an extended period of time. Others can be granted short temporary release to attend a course or a family occasion, such as a funeral. The supervision is carried out by those in the State’s Probation Service, the agency whose job it is to assess and manage offenders who have been placed back in the community. Under the new rules which came into force in 2023, prisoners serving sentences of less than one year, or who have one year left in their term, can apply for general temporary release pending a risk assessment. Additionally, the community return scheme, which grants early release subject to prisoners carrying out unpaid work in the community, is now available to inmates serving up to five years once they have completed at least half of their sentence. Significant changes were also made to the community support scheme, which is designed to relieve overcrowding by granting early release to inmates serving short sentences. They are then supervised in the community. Previously, only prisoners serving less than a year could apply. Now it is open to those serving up to 18 months. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.