MPs call for enquiry after horrific Swansea prison knife attack
Three MPs are calling for a public enquiry after a Swansea prison officer suffered horrific injuries in an unprovoked knife attack carried out by an inmate.
The attacker is a prisoner who was transferred to Swansea Prison on 14 April, having attacked a fellow inmate at Berwyn prison on 29 March by stabbing him repeatedly in the head.
Despite a previous knife attack on a fellow inmate and incidents were the individual threatened to “slash” a female prison officer, the prisoner is said not to have been in segregation, nor transferred to a Category A prison.
Following the attack, a joint letter by Geraint Davies MP, Carolyn Harris MP and Tonia Antoniazzi MP has been sent to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland.
‘Traumatic’
Swansea West MP, Geraint Davies, said “Our thoughts are with the officer and his family at this most traumatic time.
“We have heard today of the prison officer at Swansea prison who has been severely injured in an horrific unprovoked attack, last Saturday, amounting, in our view, to an attempted murder.
“Since being transferred to Swansea, the prisoner, prior to the latest attack, threatened a female prison officer, stating he would “slice her face open”.
“The latest near-fatal attack on a public servant in Swansea prison could and should have been avoided by putting the inmate into a Category A prison, rather than the Category B/C prison in Swansea.
“We are calling for a full enquiry and for procedures to be put in place to ensure that in future very violent prisoners, in particular those who attack prisoner officers and fellow inmates in custody, are placed in the appropriate category of prison to ensure the safety of all those involved.
“We ask that this prisoner is moved without delay and that he is charged with attempted murder. We are committed to working with the POA union and authorities to ensure greater safety for prison officers.”
The MPs are due to meet with the prison governor to raise questions and continue to liaise with the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) union.
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Raise questions……..liaise………..full inquiry………we are committed……..MP’s to meet …
Perp is likely to be severely mentally ill with a violent history. These guys get shuffled around, custodians lose sight of his history and bang you’ve got a serious problem. Lack of secure spaces for people with such conditions is the key factor. Society creates these issues but locks people away just so it can forget about them.