Prison governor suffers fractured skull in latest inmate attack on jail official
7 June 2025, 13:37
A prison governor has suffered a fractured skull after having his head bashed in by an inmate at HMP Ranby in Retford, Nottinghamshire.
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The governor is thought to have been attending a celebratory event held on one of the prison's wings on May 16.
He remains in hospital, where he is still recovering nearly three weeks after the incident.
It marks in the latest in a string of assaults on a prison official as the country grapples with an overcrowding crisis in Britain's jails.
The attacks have prompted calls from the prisons union for the Government to consider US "supermax-style” jails for the country's most violent and dangerous criminals.
Read more: Prison officer, 25, airlifted to hospital after being stabbed by inmate at high-security prison
In the US, Supermax prisons see inmates spend most of the day confined to single cells with facilities made of poured, reinforced concrete to deter self-harm.
They are under 24-hour supervision with high staff–inmate ratios, while the cells are built with poured, reinforced concrete to prevent self-harm.
Tom Wheatley, the head of the Prison Governors’ Association, told The Telegraph: “These attacks are not about the method of the assault, it is about the intent. What we need to change is something about the environment that deals with the intent of people to cause our staff harm.
“What we need to carefully consider are different regimes for prisoners who exhibit that level of violence. Every prison currently has a segregation unit and these violent prisoners can expect to be segregated.
“They may get an additional sentence [as a result of the assault] but if you are serving a life sentence like Abedi, that is not going to make a difference."
Mark Fairhurst, National Chair of the Prison Officers’ Association, previously told LBC prison officers are in potential danger whenever they are on the job.
He spoke to LBC News' Charlotte Lynch, after an officer was stabbed last month by an inmate at HMP Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire.
Mr Fairhurst said: "It is extremely sad news and it just highlights how dangerous our job is.
"Every single shift we face this type of risk and we need protections in place and we need severe punishments for offenders who commit these atrocious crimes."
He suggested that officers should be provided with stab-proof vests, but added that more needs to be done to both help protect officers and prevent weapons from getting in the hands of inmates.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice warned on it "will run out of prison places in just five months time” if nothing is done due to significant overcrowding in jails across the country.
It announced three new jails will be built, while David Gauke, former Conservative justice secretary, has been tasked with carrying out a review of sentencing to solve the overcrowding problem in prisons.
Prisons Minister Lord James Timpson told LBC the crisis is "totally unacceptable" as he vowed that his government will tackle the issue.
He told LBC's Andrew Marr: "The crisis that we've inherited in our prison system is one we need to tackle now. And what that means is if the police can't arrest anybody because there's no prison places, the courts can't potentially convict anybody, and then the whole system breaks down.
"So we always need prison places and that's why we're taking these actions. Our predictions are by November, if we don't do anything, we will run out of spaces in the male prison estate, and that is totally unacceptable."
Officer stabbed by an inmate at HMP Long Lartin
An officer was stabbed last month by an inmate at HMP Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire.
Officers were called to the prison shortly after 10am after reports that the 25-year-old had been stabbed.
He was airlifted to hospital after sustaining serious injuries.
The inmate remains within the prison in South Littleton - a high security facility with over 600 prisoners.
Officer attack at Gartree Prison in Market Harborough
Meanwhile, a prison officer at Gartree Prison in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, had a TV thrown at him after trying to help a prisoner who had faked an epileptic fit.
A female officer also sustained a broken arm in the attack.
Three incidents are believed to have occurred in the same 24 hours and follow a string of other inmate attacks.
Prison officer's throat slashed by inmate at HMP Woodhill
Prison chiefs warned that "violence is out of control' after an officer had their throat slashed by an inmate holding an improvised weapon.
The Prison Officers Association (POA) said the "specialist" officer was attacked at HMP Woodhill, a Category B men's prison in Milton Keynes, where far-right activist Tommy Robinson is currently being held.
The officer was rushed to hospital with injuries to their neck and ear, which required stitches and surgical glue, the POA said.
In a separate incident at the same jail, another warden was assaulted and injured by an inmate detained under the Terrorism Act 2008.
Officer at HMP Belmarsh attacked by Southport killer Axel Rudakubana
An officer at HMP Belmarsh was admitted to hospital last month after being ambushed with hot water by Southport killer Axel Rudakubana.
The convict allegedly heated up water in a kettle in his cell, and then threw the boiling water at a prison officer
.It is claimed he threw the water at the prison officer through the hatch in the door of his cell, Sky News reports.
The prison officer was reportedly taken to hospital as a precaution, but came away with minor injuries.
Manchester Arena bomb plotter attacks three officers in Frankland jail
Three guards were attacked with hot oil by Manchester Arena terrorist Hashem Abedi.
Abedi, who is being held at HMP Frankland in County Durham for his role in the deadly attack eight years ago, inflicted "life-threatening" injuries on the three officers on Saturday, according to the Prison Officers Association (POA).
The union said that he had used home-made weapons to stab them. At least one of the victims was a female police officer.
