Prison officer stabbed 'with knife brought in from outside jail'

A situation serviceman who received exigency attraction aft being attacked astatine a precocious information jailhouse was stabbed with a limb from extracurricular of prison, Sky News understands. 

The 25-year-old serviceman was airlifted to hospital aft allegedly being attacked by an inmate who utilized a weapon that wasn't made wrong the jail, which is different known arsenic an "improvised" weapon.

It is not known however the limb was brought into the prison. However a caller inspection of HMP Long Lartin successful Worcestershire described the "incursion of drones" arsenic "an progressively captious problem" for the jail, and a "threat" that was "unsettling" for staff.

The serviceman is successful a unchangeable information pursuing the onslaught connected Friday greeting but underwent exigency surgery, aft sustaining what West Mercia Police described arsenic superior injuries.

A 22-year-old fishy is being held successful custody wrong the prison.

West Mercia Police Assistant Chief Constable Grant Wills said connected Friday that the incidental was not being treated arsenic terrorism.

He added: "Our archetypal enquiries suggest determination was a disagreement betwixt an inmate and situation serviceman that escalated and is an isolated substance wrong the prison."

This was the 3rd onslaught astatine a Category A, precocious information jail, successful little than 2 months.

In April, the Manchester Arena weaponry plotter Hashem Abedi allegedly assaulted situation officers utilizing blistery cooking oil and a homemade limb portion successful a separation centre, which are utilized to location extremist and convulsive offenders.

At HMP Belmarsh, Southport slayer Axel Rudakubana has been accused of throwing boiling blistery h2o implicit an serviceman done the hatch successful his compartment doorway earlier this month.

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There were 10,605 assaults connected unit successful the twelvemonth to December 2024, a 15% summation connected the twelvemonth before, marking a grounds high.

The authorities says the information of frontline unit is simply a apical precedence and has commissioned a bid of reviews to see accrued extortion for officers, including stab-proof vests and the usage of Tasers successful definite situations.

The autarkic reviewer of terrorism, Jonathan Hall KC, has besides been appointed to transportation retired a reappraisal of the alleged Abedi onslaught astatine HMP Frankland, to see whether separation centres are acceptable for purpose.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Police are investigating an onslaught connected a situation serviceman astatine HMP Long Lartin.

"We volition not tolerate assaults connected hardworking unit and volition ever propulsion for the strongest punishments against perpetrators."