10 May 2025 , 06:51
833
0
Triple murderer Axel Rudakubana is being investigated after a prison officer was attacked at HMP Belmarsh, it’s been reported.
The prison officer was taken to hospital after the attack on Thursday, and was discharged later that evening.
The officer is expected to return to work next week.
Rudakubana, 18, allegedly used a kettle in his cell to heat water before throwing it over the officer.
Rudakubana will spend a minimum of 52 years in prison for murdering three little girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July.
He killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and tried to murder eight other children, the class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes.
He was also convicted of possessing a knife, producing the deadly poison ricin, and possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
A search of his house uncovered ricin as well as a PDF file titled Military Studies in the Jihad against Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual, which he is said to have possessed since August 29, 2021.
Concerns had been raised about Rudakubana’s violent behaviour at school, and he had been referred to counter-terror scheme Prevent three times since he was 13 – once over his interest in killing children in a school massacre.
But Prevent decided he had no terrorist motivations and posed no terrorist threat.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: ‘Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh yesterday.
‘Violence in prison will not be tolerated and we will always push for the strongest possible punishment for attacks on our hardworking staff.’
Deputy Editor