Legal News
Prisoner Safety Not Guaranteed, Says Prison Officers’ Association (7 October 2011)
Date: 07/10/2011
Prisoners and prison officers will never be entirely safe in jail, the Prison Officers' Association (POA) has warned. The claim follows the attempted murder of jailed Soham killer, Ian Huntley, and the strangling of child sex killer, Colin Hatch. Damien Fowkes murdered Mr. Hatch at Full Sutton jail, near York. Mr. Fowkes also slashed Mr. Huntley's throat at Frankland prison in Durham.
In 2002, Mr. Fowkes, formerly of Northampton, was handed a minimum jail sentence of 12 years after carrying out three robberies. In 2010, he was transferred to the high security Full Sutton prison where he strangled Mr. Hatch. Mr. Hatch had been serving a life sentence for the murder of a seven-year-old child, an offence committed while on parole for a previous child sex attack. Mr. Fowkes’ attack on Mr. Huntley took place in March 2010. Mr. Fowkes slashed the child murderer with a makeshift knife at the Category A Frankland prison in Durham.
The POA’s national vice chairman, Tom Robson, claimed that the safety of prisoners and prison officers in prisons could never be guaranteed. Mr. Robson claims that while it is a difficult situation, the Prison Service is very successful at preserving people's integrity. Mr. Robson claims that the prison service does not take its job lightly. Mr. Robson claimed that paedophiles were particularly at risk of harm from other prisoners, even in high security prisons.
Duncan Lewis’ dedicated prison law solicitors pride themselves on protecting prisoners’ rights. The team are available to discuss any concerns regarding a prisoner’s welfare.