Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi savagely attacked three prison officers at top security Frankland Prison, in County Durham, with boiling oil and makeshift weapons
Jails are in a desperate crisis that will lead to a prison officer being murdered by an inmate, experts say. Steve Gillan, the general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association, is demanding urgent action including staff being issued stab-proof vests.
It follows claims that Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi attacked three prison officers by using two makeshift weapons and hurling boiling butter or margarine at them. The Mirror believes one guard was stabbed in the neck and another was stabbed numerous times in the back at top security Frankland Prison in Brasside, Co Durham, on Saturday.
Two of the colleagues suffered third degree burns. Mr Gillan told the Mirror: “This was a cowardly attack on brave prison officers. The government needs to wake up before a prison officer is murdered. This incident is clear evidence… we are very close to a murder.”
READ MORE: Inside HMP Frankland housing UK’s most notorious killers and sadistic attacks from behind bars
It is said the assault was in the jail’s separation unit, designed to segregate extremists, where Abedi was being held. Mr Gillan said: “It cannot be right that they can have facilities that mean they can heat butter or margarine and collect it and then effectively turn it into a weapon. They should not be allowed cooking facilities full stop.”
The attacker is said to have slashed the officers with two homemade weapons that had 8in-long blades. It is believed the improvised knives could have been made out of baking trays from the cooking area in the separation unit. The officer stabbed in the neck is believed to have severed an artery and the officer who was stabbed in the back suffered a punctured lung. A source said of the attack: “It was horrific and a total bloodbath.”
And a prison officer at the jail told the BBC that staff are shaken by the attack and are wondering why they are in the job. Ministers have announced a probe into the attack alongside a counter terror police investigation. Mr Gillan said: “The government needs to act with a full review of the regimes and facilities that these prisoners are permitted.”
He added: “Security guards in supermarkets are better protected than our prison officers dealing with some of the most dangerous people. These people don’t stop being dangerous just because they’re in prison.” Mr Gillan said the assault was traumatising enough but then prison officers had to clean up their colleagues’ blood after a forensic investigation was done.
He added: “We’ve seen life-changing injuries, stabbings and burning in this case, but we’ve had four or five close calls in the last few years. Assaults are out of control, drugs are out of control, violence on prisoners and violence on staff is out of control. This is a potentially deadly crisis.” He urged the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to sit down for talks with the union to solve the problems.
Mr Gillan said: “For far too long governments have hidden behind the courts and legislation threatening the POA with injunctions and contempt of court when individuals try and protect their health and safety. I call on Shabana Mahmood to get round the table with the POA to rectify the crisis before someone loses their life. This won’t stop until someone is killed. The warning signs are there.”
Abedi, 28, was jailed for at least 55 years for helping his brother – suicide bomber Salman Abedi – carry out the 2017 terror attack, in which 22 people were murdered at a concert. Abedi has previously been found guilty, along with other convicts, of a vicious attack on a prison officer at Belmarsh jail in South East London in 2020. Following the attack at the weekend at Frankland prison, the three injured colleagues – two men and one woman – were treated in hospital.
The female officer was discharged by 4pm on Saturday. Her two male colleagues are said to have suffered severe stab wounds but that their conditions had stabilised. The two men were still seriously ill in hospital yesterday. The officer stabbed in the neck is believed to have suffered a severed artery. The man who was stabbed in the back suffered a punctured lung.
Former prison governor Ian Acheson said Abedi’s past showed he posed such a danger he should have been held under tighter security conditions than the ones at the separation unit. Mr Acheson also warned that the assault “moves us closer to the day when a prison officer will be murdered on duty by a terrorist”, adding that it is only a matter of time. The Justice Secretary Ms Mahmood said at the weekend: “I am appalled by the attack of three brave officers.
“My thoughts are with them and their families. The police are now investigating. I will be pushing for the strongest possible punishment. Violence against our staff will never be tolerated.” The Ministry of Justice said yesterday: “Our thoughts remain with the two prison officers still in hospital as they recover. There will be a full review into how this attack was able to happen, alongside the separate police inquiry.
“The government will do whatever it takes to keep our hard-working staff safe.” Asked about the calls from the POA union for urgent action, the department said it would not be commenting further at this stage.
A statement from the North East counter terror, team said: “The investigation into a serious assault of three prison officers at HMP Frankland remains ongoing today. Counter Terrorism Policing North East are leading the investigation, with support from Durham Constabulary.
“Two victims remain in hospital with serious injuries and the third victim was discharged from hospital yesterday. Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation. We are keeping an open mind as we investigate to establish the facts. “
