Category Archives: Prisoners attacked by prisoners
EXCLUSIVE! Full Sutton Prisoner in Critical Condition After Throat Slashed
A prisoner at Full Sutton maximum security prison near York is in a critical condition after another prisoner slashed his throat with a knife.
Mark Leech, editor of Converse the national newspaper for prisoners in England and Wales said:
“Converse sources at the jail told the newspaper that the whole prison had gone into lock down following the assault on 25th April and the inmate was rushed to a local hosital where he is in a critical condition.”
Full Sutton is one of eight prisons which form part of the High Security Estate, holding long term prisoners including terrorists, murderers and those who will never be released
In the 2012 annual report by the Independent Monitoring Board for Full Sutton, the Board said assaults were down by 57 per cent since 2008, thanks to a good staff-prisoner relationships and a tight hold on security, but they warned that budget cuts of £1.1m in 2013/14 “will lead to a potential loss of control, making the prison unsafe for both staff and prisoners.”
A report by the Prisons Inspectorate earlier this year said that Full Sutton Prison near Pocklington “dealt very effectively with challenges other prisons find difficult to manage”.
It said that “levels of violence were low, drug use was low and there was a range of good quality, well-managed purposeful activity available.”
However Inspectors expressed concerns about the segregation unit where Inspectors criticised the unit for a “insufficient focus on improving behaviour and helping men reintegrate back on the main wings.”.
The report said: “It is generally an impressive establishment that maintains an effective balance between providing the necessary levels of security and affording the men it holds decent treatment and conditions.”
The jail was opened 11 years ago and holds around 600 of the country’s most serious offenders.
Court Refuses to Downgrade Cat A Jail Killer
A killer convicted of murdering a paedophile in a top security jail in Cambridgeshire has failed to persuade a High Court judge to soften his prison regime.
Michael Cain complained that prison bosses had unfairly refused to downgrade his category A prisoner status.
But Mr Justice Stadlen has refused to declare his grading unfair, after a hearing at the High Court in London.
Cain – who is in his mid 40s – was given a life term in 1987 after being convicted of murdering a shopkeeper during a robbery.
In 1995, Cain was given a second life term after he and another inmate were convicted of murdering child killer Leslie Bailey – who was known as “Catweazle” – at Whitemoor prison near March, Cambridgeshire, in 1993.
His minimum prison term expired in 2010 but parole board officials have not recommended his release.
Mr Justice Stadlen was told that Cain had not accepted responsibility for Bailey’s murder until four years ago.
Cain told a psychologist that he had “held the belief for many years” that Bailey was not a “victim” because of the “nature” of his crimes.
He said he had acted as a “look out” while “his associate” John Brooks went into a cell to beat and strangle Bailey.
Mr Justice Stadlen said he recognised that his conclusion on the grading challenge would be “unwelcome” to Cain.
But the judge said Cain was to be “commended” for his “belated admission of responsibility” for Bailey’s murder and willingness to address his “offending behaviour”.
In recent years Cain has been held at Frankland jail near Durham and Full Sutton jail near York, the judge heard.
PRISONER KILLED – TWO INMATES HELD
Two prisoners are being held in police custody after Subhan Anwar, from West Yorkshire, who was jailed for torturing and murdering his partner’s two-year-old daughter, was found dead in his cell in Worcestershire, the Ministry of Justice said.
Anwar, who was jailed for a minimum of 23 years in 2009 for the murder of Sanam Navsarka, is understood to have been held hostage in a cell at HMP Long Lartin before he was killed.
His partner Zahbeena Navsarka was cleared of her daughter’s murder but found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for nine years.
A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “An incident at HMP Long Lartin on Thursday, February 14 resulted in the death of prisoner Subhan Anwar.
“Two prisoners are now in police custody and the matter is being investigated by police.”
Anwar and Navsarka, from Huddersfield, were condemned for their cruel and selfish treatment of Sanam.
The violence inflicted on the youngster happened near the end of her life.
Her tiny hand prints and bloodstains were found inside cupboards at the home in Huddersfield and also at a former property in Batley, West Yorkshire.
Both her thigh bones had been fractured, causing fatty deposits to enter her bloodstream and resulting in her death, and she had fractures to both her arms.
HMP HEWELL INMATE MURDER – FOUR IN COURT
Four men have been charged with murdering a prison inmate who died after a serious assault.
West Mercia Police said Jahnel Faure, 28; Jermaine Christie, 27; Paul Coulter, 27, and 34-year-old Barry Mundle had appeared before magistrates today charged with killing Adnan Rafiq.
Mr Rafiq, 25 and from Moseley in Birmingham, died last night in hospital after being found with critical injuries on Monday at HMP Hewell, near Redditch, Worcestershire.
A police spokesman said Faure, originally from West Bromwich; Christie, originally from Birmingham; Coulter, originally from Swansea, and Mundle who is from Wolverhampton, had been charged with murder last night.
Christie and Coulter appeared at Worcester Magistrates’ Court today, while Faure and Mundle appeared at Kidderminster and Redditch Magistrates’ courts respectively.
All were remanded in custody and ordered to appear at Birmingham Crown Court next week.
MURDERER STABBED “NONCE” IN CELL
A double murderer stabbed notorious child killer Roy Whiting (above) in the eye twice in a West Yorkshire prison because he was a “dirty little nonce”, a court has heard.
Gary Vinter, 42, picked a high profile target in July 2011 because he wanted to change the conditions in which he was held at Wakefield Prison.
Whiting, a convicted sex offender sentenced to life in prison in 2001 for the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, received emergency care following the attack in his cell and has made a full recovery.
Vinter appeared via a videolink from Long Lartin Prison, Worcestershire, before Mr Justice Openshaw sitting at Newcastle Crown Court.
After hearing Andrew Kershaw, prosecuting, give an explanation for the gruesome attack, Vinter said: “He was a dirty little nonce. That’s why I did it.”
Vinter, from Middlesbrough, sneaked into Whiting’s cell and used a sharpened plastic toilet brush handle to stab Whiting in both eyes. Vinter then kicked and punched Whiting as he lay on the floor, before he left the cell.
The double murderer later told prison authorities “the only reason Whiting was still alive is he got tired during the attack,” Mr Kershaw said.
Vinter told officers he had tried to kill Whiting, that as a “natural life” prisoner he had no hope and he had warned the authorities he would target a “high-profiler”. Whiting was treated at Pinderfields Hospital where he received stitches in his eye lids and the shard of plastic was removed.
Vinter admitted wounding with intent at a previous hearing and was given an indefinite sentence, with a notional minimum term of five years.
Vinter is appealing against his full life term before European Human Rights judges at the end of this month. In 1996 Vinter was jailed for life for murdering Carl Edon, 22, a railway signalman. He was released from prison in 2006 after serving a 10-year minimum term. He was recalled to prison for his part in a pub brawl and then went on to murder his wife Anne White, 40, in a chilling offence four years ago.
GUYS MARSH INMATES DEMAND END TO GANG VIOLENCE
A group of inmates at a Dorset prison have signed a petition demanding action is taken to stop violence and attacks by fellow prisoners.
The petition signed by inmates at Guys Marsh in Shaftesbury was sent to solicitor Rhonda Hesling, secretary of the Prison Injury Lawyers Association.
She said they claim two wings at the jail are “out of control” and they are “frightened there will be a death”.
The Prison Service said it did not tolerate violence or intimidation.
The document was signed by more than a dozen prisoners and had been smuggled out of the site, Ms Hesling said.
She said it read: “There is no CCTV here at Guys Marsh, staff are never patrolling or around, we could be killed or injured on the wings.
“There is a high level of assaults here by prison gangs who roam without challenge and bullying makes everyone feel unsafe, please help us.”
‘Out of control’
Ms Hesling, also a senior partner with Hesling Henriques solicitors, said the petition was passed to her by a prisoner who had contacted her after being seriously assaulted inside the prison.
She said two wings in particular were “running out of control” and “there’s an absence of prison officers”.
“It’s clearly not something that is just one prisoner’s view,” she said.
“It would seem there’s a systematic failure in the managing of these wings, which is resulting in robbery by other prisoners upon perhaps those who are more weakened and vulnerable.
“There’s an atmosphere of intimidation and fear, and a real fear of physical violence.
“The weak and vulnerable are being beaten up and they are being bullied.”
The Prison Service said in a statement: “Violence or intimidation in prisons is not tolerated in any form and we take the responsibility of keeping staff, prisoners and visitors safe extremely seriously.
“That’s why we have a violence management system in place to deal with incidents quickly and robustly with serious incidents referred to the police immediately.”
Ms Hesling said the Prison Injury Lawyers Association was investigating the claims and was speaking to all parties involved.
INMATE TO BE SENTENCED FOR DISEMBOWELLING
A prisoner who admitted disembowelling a man, convicted of raping a child in Cumbria, in his top security jail cell will be sentenced.
Michael Parr killed Mitchell Harrison, who was serving an indefinite sentence at Frankland Prison, Durham, for the rape of a 13-year-old girl.
Harrison was 21 at the time of the attack which happened in Kendal in August 2009.
Originally from Wolverhampton, he was jailed in January 2010 after he admitted raping the girl.
Harrison was disembowelled in his cell at the category A facility, which has housed some of the UK’s most high profile and dangerous inmates, last October.
Parr, 32, will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court by Mr Justice Openshaw.
A plea hearing will be held at the same court for Parr’s co-accused Nathan Mann, 23.
Mitchell admitted two counts of rape at Carlisle Crown Court, where he received an indeterminate sentence and was put on the sex offenders’ register for life.
PRISONER PLEADS GUILTY TO DISEMBOWELLING MURDER
A prisoner has admitted murdering a child rapist from Wolverhampton who was disembowelled in his cell at a top security jail. Mitchell Harrison (above), 23, was serving an indefinite sentence at Frankland Prison, Durham, for raping a 13-year-old girl when he was killed last October. Michael Parr, 32, pleaded guilty to murder during a brief hearing at Newcastle Crown Court via videolink from prison. He will be sentenced on July 12. Nathan Mann, 23, is also charged with Harrison’s murder but he did not appear before the court. Harrison was jailed in January 2010 for raping the girl in Cumbria in 2009. He was jailed at Carlisle Crown Court indefinitely and was put on the sex offenders’ register for life. After his murder, Harrison’s family released a statement saying: “Although we never condoned his past actions, he was serving his time and was by all accounts a model, trusted prisoner who did not deserve to die in this horrific way.”
