Police investigate alleged attack on prison officer by Southport killer

Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer by Southport killer Axel Rudakubana on Thursday, it is understood.

The officer had boiling water thrown over them. They were taken to hospital and discharged on the same day, the Ministry of Justice said.

The Prison Service said violence in prison "will not be tolerated and we will always push for the strongest possible punishment for attacks on our hardworking staff".

The attack, first reported by the Sun, has renewed concerns about the safety of prison officers, after an attack last month by Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi at another prison.

Abedi attacked three prison officers at HMP Frankland by throwing hot cooking oil and using "home made weapons" to stab them, according to the Prison Officers' Association (POA).

The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade, according to data from the Ministry of Justice.

In response to the rise in attacks, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood previously announced that the use of tasers will be trialled in prisons and confirmed the Prison Service will conduct a "snap review" of the use of protective body armour for prison officers.

Asked if prison officers are safe an interview with the BBC earlier this week, prisons minister James Timpson said: "I think it is fine to work in our prisons."

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said on Friday prison violence had become a "full blown crisis" and called for the justice secretary to act "now" in a post on X.

Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors' Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that prison officers work "an incredibly difficult job" in "overcrowded conditions".

It is not clear how Rudakubana allegedly got hold of the hot water. Asked if dangerous prisoners should be allowed access to a kettle in their cell, Mr Wheatley said it was "lower risk" to allow prisoners to boil water in their rooms because the alternative was to have officers bring hot water to prisoners' cells.

"Prisoners have used all sorts of things to cause injury to other people," he added.

He continued: "Pretty much anything can be utilised to cause harm to somebody else. What we're really concerned about is the intent of people to do so."

Rudakubana killed Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July 2024 in Southport.

He also attacked eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas, and businessman John Hayes, who had tried to disarm him.

The 18-year-old was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January for three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and other offences including producing ricin, possessing terrorist material, and possessing a knife.

A public inquiry into the Southport murders began in April.

In February, the Attorney General rejected calls for the Court of Appeal to review the length of Rudakubana's jail sentence.

Rudakubana's minimum term of 52 years means he cannot be considered for release until he has served that amount of time in prison.