
Horror as prison guard has throat slashed by lag in terrifying attack behind bars
It is understood that a staff member required stitches after their neck and ear were cut in the attack.
A prison officer has had their throat slashed by an inmate using an improvised weapon in a terrifying attack.
The horror incident took place at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, according to the prison officers union, and it is understood that a staff member required stitches after their neck and ear were cut in the attack.
There was also another separate violent assault on an officer at the jail by an inmate who was locked up on terrorism charges, reports the Mirror.
The Prison Officers Association said two officers were injured in separate incidents at HMP Woodhill, where one of the officers was allegedly attacked by an inmate detained under the Terrorism Act 2008.
The union also reported a prison officer had a TV thrown at him and a female officer sustained a broken arm after a prisoner faked an epileptic fit at Gartree Prison.
POA general secretary Steve Gillan said: ' Escalating levels of violence are out of control in the prison service in England and Wales. We need action to protect prison officers before there is a fatality.'
Geoff Willetts, of the Prison Officers Association, said in a statement on X: 'I am advised that one of our members at HMP Woodhill was attacked by a prisoner who was detained under the Terrorism act of 2008. The officer was assaulted and injured while carrying out his duties.
'In a separate incident at the same jail a prisoner was told to return to his cell, this resulted in a specialist officer being slashed with an improvised weapon sustaining injuries to the neck and ear. The officer attended hospital attention where they required stitches and surgical glue applied to their injuries.
'Meanwhile at Gartree Prison, Market Harborough staff attended a medical emergency where a prisoner faked an epileptic fit. A prison officer who attended to assist was assaulted then had a TV thrown at him and a female officer sustained a broken arm.'
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Prison Service is conducting a 'snap review' into the use of protective body armour for prison officers, and the use of tasers is being trialled in jails, after an attack on prison officers by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi last month.
Four guards were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons at HMP Frankland in County Durham in April, with the inmate transferred to Belmarsh after the incident. And police are also now investigating an alleged attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh by Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana.
The 18-year-old allegedly used a kettle in his cell to heat water up and then poured boiling water over the officer on May 8. The prison officer was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, did not require further treatment and was discharged later that evening, it is understood.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Therapy dog missing in Highlands for two weeks as owners continue 'relentless search'
Golden Retriever Louie is trained to alert the family when teen Ellie Lynn is about to have an epileptic seizure. The family of a support dog missing for two weeks has opened up on the 'relentless search' they've carried out for their beloved pet. Louie the two-year-old Golden Retriever is trained to let the family of teenager Elie Lynn know when she is about to have an epileptic seizure. Desperate, the family have left dirty clothing and food around the area to try to lure their pup to safety. The pooch is now much more than a help for the 17-year-old, becoming "a huge part" of the youngster's family, leaving them heartbroken at his absence. He has been missing since Monday, May 26, when he slipped free from his choker while walking up Glen Nevis, in Fort William. The family say they are absolutely desperate to bring him home. Despite regularly searching for him in the 16 days since he vanished, Louie is still missing. The family were given hope after hearing barking up the Glen on Sunday, June 8. Owner Louise Manson told the Record today: "It's been an absolute struggle. My 12-year-old daughter, Lara, has been out searching relentlessly with me. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. " Ellie has found the two weeks so hard, it would give her security and her companion back. Home isn't home without him, it would mean the absolute world for him to come home for all of us." A Facebook group, called Official search page for finding Louie, was set up to try and help track him down, with members of the public helping in the searches. Louise wrote on Monday: "Update, more barking has been heard yesterday, but it could be coming from anywhere. Which is a positive. We have been given other positive information which indicates he's 100% alive yesterday. "We were out again last night at steall falls until late. Clothes out, food has been left and a wildlife camera. In the hope we can narrow down his location and get him home. "We think with the falls being so busy, he's scared and in hiding during the day. We have been told, shouting his name may make him want to hide further away. So its a case of just seeing where he is and trying to tempt him. "We are confident we will get him home…it's just taking longer than hoped. Again thank you for help, messaging, searching and all your kind words. Its all helping so much at this time." Posting on the group previously, she wrote: "Just putting it out there. On Monday the 26th of May, if anyone was up Glen Nevis and steall falls. "Has anyone has taken Louie, out of good will thinking he was abandoned, a stray or injured or he followed you on a walk and has become your companion. Please return him. We will travel to collect. This has broken our hearts. "Our home isn't home without him. If you pm us no one will need to know. We just need him home. He was originally my daughters therapy dog for her epilepsy but has become a huge part of our wee family."


Daily Record
7 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scotland's jails at 'breaking point' as prison officers demand urgent action on overcrowding
Scotland's jails are at 'breaking point' as prison officers today demand urgent action on 'dangerous' levels of overcrowding. A damning new report from the prison warder's union has laid bare staff fears after jail numbers reached record levels. Almost all prison officers (over 95%) say rising prisoner numbers make our jails more dangerous - while more than 80% say their prison can no longer cope. Scotland has one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe, with 8,110 people behind bars in the prison estate this week. Phil Fairlie, Assistant Secretary of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), which has around 4,000 members across the country, said: 'This report is the clearest evidence from our members on the frontline that Scotland's prisons are at breaking point. 'It is POA members who are expected to work in this pressure cooker atmosphere every single day. They are doing a remarkable job in incredibly challenging circumstances, but without the correct support and additional staffing something has to give, they are not superhuman and it will take its toll eventually. 'The Prison Officers' Association will be sending a copy of this report to every MSP, MP, The Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service. We are urging those in positions of power and influence to listen to our members and take immediate action to end the overcrowding crisis.' Hundreds of Scottish prisoners were released early in recent months in a bid to ease the pressure on packed jails after the population hit a peak of 8,361 in May last year. The problem has been linked to longer sentences being imposed by the courts, a rise in domestic abuse and sex crimes and convictions for historic sexual abuse. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Bill was passed under emergency procedures last year, allowing short-term inmates serving less than four years were set free after serving 40% of their sentence as opposed to the previous 50%. But the POA report, which surveyed more than 500 prison officers, shows more than 68% of staff think current levels of overcrowding are the worst they have seen in their career. When asked about the steps being taken to accommodate increasing prisoner numbers, more than 55% of prison officers said prisoners not ready for release are being freed early. More than 91% said overcrowding increases tensions in Scotland's prisons, leaving prisoners locked up in their cells for longer and reducing prisoner access to exercise and fresh air. They said it provided fewer opportunities to engage in education or rehabilitation projects, while stoking rising levels of substance misuse and resulting in more incidents of violence against staff and prisoners. More than 86% of warders said the prisoner levels were contributing to rising sickness absence levels in staff and more than 94% said it current conditions meant they would be unable to work until their normal pension age of 68. In February, the Governor of Scotland's biggest jail, Barlinnie admitted he would 'struggle' to survive life inside the overcrowded prison he manages, describing it as a 'pressure cooker'. In April, inspectors described parts of the prison as being in a 'wretchedly poor state' while operating at 30% over capacity. HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) 'strongly urged' the Scottish government to tackle overcrowding as a priority. The Scottish government has committed to building a new prison to replace Barlinnie on the outskirts of the city. It is due to be completed in 2028 at a cost nearly near £1bn. One unnamed prison officer said: "Too many prisoners are caught in a revolving door. They're out one week and back the next. "Prison has become a warehousing business where slogans about changing lives are ironic because the horrors caused by conditions of overcrowding do change lives - for the worse.' POA chiefs were set to hold crunch talks with MSPs on the report at a meeting at the Scottish Parliament today. Mr Fairlie said: 'We need urgent action to address the overcrowding crisis and we welcome the Prisoner Early Release Bill as an early step. But until these measures are having a meaningful long term impact, we need more staff, an improved estate, and a recognition that our Prison Officers are not superhuman and able to work under such conditions until they are almost 70.' A Scottish Prison Service spokeswoman said: 'Our staff are our greatest asset. Every day, prison officers do outstanding work in the most challenging circumstances, and it is crucial that their voice is heard. 'This important report demonstrates the risk they face from a rising and complex prison population, the impact this has on their health and wellbeing and on their ability to do their jobs effectively. 'We need to see a reduction in our population, so that our staff can fully support people in our care, to reduce their risk of reoffending, and help build the safer communities we all want to see.' Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: 'Like the rest of the UK, Scotland's prison population has risen significantly in recent times and has become increasingly complex. We have taken a number of actions to address this and to support the dedicated staff who do outstanding work in our prisons day in, day out. I am grateful for their commitment and dedication. 'We continue to work with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and wider justice system to manage the prison population and have increased investment to the SPS resource budget by 10% to £481.5 million in 2025/26.'


Daily Record
7 hours ago
- Daily Record
Prison officers assaulted by inmates 'almost every day' in Scotland's jails
Scottish Prison Service data shows 350 officers were attacked during 2024-25 –the highest number in five years. Shock figures reveal a prison officer was assaulted by an inmate almost every day while on duty in Scotland's increasingly violent jails. Scottish Prison Service data shows 350 officers were attacked during 2024-25 –the highest number in five years – with critics claiming violence behind bars is spiralling out of control. Data supplied under Freedom of Information shows 1543 officers were assaulted between 2020-21 and 2024-25. There were 313 assaults in 2023-24, 261 in 2022-23, with 294 and 325 incidents in 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively. According to the Prison Officers' Association, jails are the 'most hostile and violent workplace of anywhere or any other occupation in the world'. They warn overcrowding, drug abuse, bullying and organised crime gang activities inside Scotland's crisis-hit prison system are placing overworked staff under intolerable pressure. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Liam Kerr MSP said the 'damning' figures laid bare the 'brutal reality facing prison officers'. He said: 'Violence has spiralled out of control as the Nationalists have relentlessly slashed budgets, leaving hardworking staff at the mercy of dangerous inmates. Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: 'Under the SNP, Scotland's prisons are dangerously overcrowded and it is causing chaos. 'It's imperative the Scottish Government has a plan in place to give officers the resources they need to keep staff safe in a job that carries such risks.' Scottish Lib Dem Justice spokesperson Liam McArthur insisted 'no one should go to work expecting to be assaulted'. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. He said: 'The government must ensure high safety standards are maintained across the entire prison sector. It's time for Justice Secretary Angela Constance to recognise a step change is necessary.' A Scottish Government spokesman said attacks on prisoners and staff are 'completely unacceptable' and all incidents were reported to police. They added: 'To continue to provide a safe and secure prison estate, we have increased investment in the Scottish Prison Service resource budget by 10 per cent to £481.5million in 2025-26.' An SPS spokesperson said: 'We take a zero-tolerance approach to violence. We take consistent and robust action against those in our care who perpetrate violence and offer support to those affected, including staff.'