'Saw Killer' has jail term extended after stabbing prison guard in neck

27 August 2023 , 18:46

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Matthew Tinling, 36, is currently serving two life sentences (Image: Westminster Chronicle)

A notorious inmate dubbed the 'Saw Killer' has seen his jail term extended after stabbing a prison guard in the neck, it is reported.

Matthew Tinling is currently serving two life sentences for sawing through former soldier Richard Hamilton's spine to paralyse him before killing him, and launching a vicious knife attack on another inmate in 2016. Along with another convicted murderer, Tinling repeatedly stabbed the victim with homemade knives, and buried a sharpened piece of plastic into his eye.

The 36-year-old is now said to have had another seven years added to his sentence, meaning he will be jailed until at least 2062, after slashing a guard with a knife he had hidden in his mouth. The attack reportedly took place at the high-security men's prison HMP Woodhill, near Milton Keynes, back in February 2021.

A wing at HMP Woodhill near Milton Keynes (file photo) (PA)

The guard needed 18 stitches after the stabbing, according to The Sun, and Tinling later wrote in a letter that he had "mangled his face". During sentencing at Ayelsbury Crown Court, Mr Justice Morris noted that Tinling had become "more vocal towards wing staff" in the weeks leading up to the attack.

The court heard how he felt his current psychologist had "betrayed his trust", and that he was becoming more anxious about not being able to see a new one. One officer said they heard Tinling telling the unit manager to make the adjustment because his "head was going".

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He is reported to have "launched himself" at the prison guard after exercising in a yard outside and asking to go back to his cell earlier than normal, then "flying out" of the gate once it was opened. Tinling was told that the earliest he can be eligible for parole is 2062, instead of 2055.

He was first jailed at the Old Bailey in 2013. Tinling had watched Saw 6 on DVD while living at a homeless hostel in Maida Vale, west London, and had proceeded to break into a neighbouring room belonging to Mr Hamilton and stab him 17 times before sawing through his spine.

Then, as he stood trial for another vicious attack in 2016, he laughed in the face of a High Court judge and showed utter contempt for court, telling Mrs Justice Moulder he had been "a very naughty boy" before his trial began.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We do not tolerate attacks against our hardworking staff and always push for the strongest possible punishment for those involved.”

Katie Weston