The Frankland Prison officers were attacked by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi on Saturday (April 12) while he used the kitchen in his separation centre.
One officer was discharged the same day, but two remain in hospital after suffering ‘severe stab wounds’. Both guards are in a stable condition, according to the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) national chair Mark Fairhurst.
The attack – which left staff ‘cleaning up their own colleagues’ blood’ – has caused uproar across the country including from Mary Kelly Foy the Labour MP representing HMP Frankland.
The Durham City MP has written to the Justice Secretary to address “the urgent need for action” to protect prison officers.
It follows questions surrounding how Abedi was able to fashion ‘homemade weapons’ and the role that separation wings should play in the future. The Government has announced a closure of kitchens on all separation centres in prisons.
In a letter to Shabana Mahmood, Ms Foy has urged the Government ‘in the strongest possible terms’ to provide stab-proof vests for prison officers at all Category A prisons.
“The absence of protective equipment leaves officers exposed to attacks like the one at Frankland, where makeshift weapons and scalding oil were used to a devastating effect,” Ms Foy said.
“This is unarguably a high-risk environment, and equipping officers with stab proof vests would mark a vital step to safeguarding their lives in the case of further incidents of this nature.”
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said it will carry out a review into the incident, and has suspended access to kitchens in separation and close supervision units – like the wing in Frankland housing Abedi – where inmates are kept apart from the general prison population.
Ms Foy – who was first elected in 2019 – is also asking the Government to consider lowering the retirement age for prison officers – currently sitting at 68 – and improving their pay to “better align with the realities that come with such a perilous profession.”
Just last month, The Northern Echo reported injury claims from staff who were assaulted by inmates at the jail have cost more than £1.3 million.
According to data obtained by Accident Claims, over the past five years, injury claim costs at the prison totalled £1,307,921.34, with the highest amount in 2021/22 a staggering £978,569.42.
Ms Foy described the figures as “shocking” and said her thoughts remain with the families of the officers attacked, she told The Northern Echo: “These shocking figures give a real insight into the dangers that our prison officers face every single day.
“Prison Officers are often the forgotten service.”
“My thoughts remain with the injured prison officers, as well as their families and colleagues while investigations take place.”
They added: “By addressing this crisis, we can begin the work of improving prison conditions to reduce the need for compensation claims and ensure taxpayer money is spent more effectively.
“The Government is investing in prison maintenance and security, and prisoners who are violent towards staff or other prisoners will face the full consequences of their actions.”
As reported, Abedi was convicted of assisting with the Manchester terror plot, in which his suicide bomber brother Salman Abedi killed 22 people by detonating a homemade rucksack-bomb in a crowd of Ariana Grande concert-goers.
He was handed a record-breaking 55-year minimum term in August 2020.
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Category A is the highest level of security and Frankland has housed other notorious inmates, including Fusilier Lee Rigby’s terrorist killer Michael Adebolajo, Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, and Charles Bronson.
An investigation into the attack is ongoing, and is being led by Counter Terrorism Police North East in conjunction with Durham Constabulary.
The MOJ has been contacted about Ms Foy’s letter but did not respond in time for publication.
