Police are investigating an alleged attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh by Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana.
On Thursday, Rudakubana, 18, allegedly used a kettle in his cell to heat water up and then poured boiling water over the officer.
The prison officer was taken to hospital as a precaution and was discharged on the same day and is expected back at work next week, the Guardian understands.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh [on Thursday]. Violence in prison will not be tolerated and we will always push for the strongest possible punishment for attacks on our hard-working staff.”
Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January for the murders of three girls – Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven – and attempted murders of eight other children, dance class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
The attack took place at a Taylor Swift-themed workshop in Southport on 29 July 2024, and 10 others were injured. He was also convicted of offences including producing ricin, possessing terrorist material, and possessing a knife.
In April, the home secretary said that an inquiry into the Southport murders had formally begun its work looking at how to learn lessons from the attack.
According to data from the Ministry of Justice, assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade. About 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in 2024, up from 9,204 in 2023 and over the triple the recorded amount in 2014 – which was 3640.
Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has previously announced that the use of Tasers will be trialled in prisons. She also confirmed the Prison Service will conduct a “snap review” of the use of protective body armour for prison officers.
In a post on X, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Warning after warning has been ignored. I personally raised security at HMP Belmarsh just last week. “This is a full blown crisis. No more lengthy ‘reviews’ – the justice secretary needs to act NOW.”
Source: theguardian.com
