Goodwill Udechukwu is expected to be moved to either Wheatfield prison in Dublin or the Midlands prison in Portlaoise following his release from the Mater hospital.

The 32-year old was taken there that afternoon after being attacked by a large group of prisoners on Friday afternoon. He was stabbed twice in the back and once above the eye.

He had been sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday for the murder of his Jamaican-born wife Natasha Gray at her flat in Dublin's Phibsborough in February 2003.

The Prison Service confirmed that Udechukwu was able to walk to the ambulance before his transfer to the nearby Mater hospital after the attack.

A spokesman said: "It is unlikely that he will return to Mountjoy prison after he recovers from his injuries in the Mater hospital.

"The Prison Service is used to dealing with situations like this and it will review this prisoner's situation when he has recovered enough to return to prison.

"There is a whole range of options for him as he could be transferred to Wheatfield prison or the Midlands prison in Portlaoise."

The Sunday Tribune has learned that Udechukwu's lawyers are preparing to file the grounds for appeal with the appeal court in coming weeks.