Prisoner charged with murder after inmate found dead in cell
West Mercia Police said a man in his 40s was discovered dead in his cell at around 7.40am on Tuesday at HMP Stoke Heath.
Jonathan Alcide, 26, also an inmate at the category C men's prison near Market Drayton, Shropshire, has been charged in connection with the death and is currently in police custody.
He is due to appear before Telford Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
HMP Stoke Heath houses nearly 800 male prisoners.
Most prisoners in England and Wales are housed in category C prisons.
They are described as training and resettlement prisons, and are intended to provide prisoners with the opportunity to develop their skills so they can find work and resettle back into the community on release.
In the 12 months leading up to March 2025, there were 399 deaths in prison custody in England and Wales.
This represents a 37% increase on the 291 deaths in the previous 12 months.
Read more from Sky News:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hundreds of town centres to see more police patrols in crime ‘blitz'
Hundreds of towns will see an increased police presence as part of the Government's new crime 'blitz' to crack down on shoplifting and anti-social behaviour by 'thugs and thieves'. More than 500 towns across England and Wales have signed up to the Home Office's safer streets summer initiative, which will run to September 30, with more visible policing and stronger enforcement to 'restore confidence in policing'. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said residents and businesses have a 'right to feel safe in their towns' but the last government left a 'surge' in crime. In a statement, she said: 'It's time to turn this round, that's why I have called on police forces and councils alike to work together to deliver a summer blitz on town centre crime to send a clear message to those people who bring misery to our towns that their crimes will no longer go unpunished.' She said part of the neighbourhood policing guarantee includes investment of £200 million this year to begin the recruitment of thousands of new neighbourhood policing officers. Speaking to members of policing and business sectors at Derby County Football Club's Pride Park Stadium on Thursday, Ms Cooper said every area will have 'named contactable officers for residents and businesses to be able to turn to'. Ms Cooper said: 'It's one of the most important things to restore confidence in policing is to have those neighbourhood police back on the beat dealing with those very crimes that cause so much problem. 'And if we don't see the police on the streets, then confidence is lost. And I think that is what's happened for far too long. 'If shoppers don't feel safe, they will stay home. People will just stay out of our town centres, and that heart of community will be lost. 'I think these kinds of crimes have been dismissed for too long because crime erodes the social fabric that binds us together and keeps communities strong. 'We've made town centres the very heart of the safer streets mission for this summer, taking back town centres from thugs and thieves – at the heart of that is rebuilding neighbourhood policing.' Half a million shoplifting offences in England and Wales were recorded by police last year, up 20% from 2023. In a statement, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'We are on the side of local businesses, and our plan for change is helping create the right conditions for our great British high streets to thrive. 'The Safer Streets Summer Initiative will play a vital role in achieving this by keeping footfall high, communities and those that work in them safe, and the economy growing.' Anthony Hemmerdinger, managing director of Boots, said: 'Retail theft alongside intimidation and abuse of our team members is unacceptable, so we welcome this additional support from Government and the police to strengthen shop worker protection.' Police and crime commissioners across England and Wales have developed local action plans with police, including in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Humberside, Devon and Cornwall.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tragic twist after man's 'heinous' stabbing murder
A much-loved family man will never get to meet his young daughter after his life was tragically taken in a heinous stabbing attack. Nyaiek Anyang told the Victorian Supreme Court she found out she was pregnant with Mayiik Ring's baby after he was murdered on December 30, 2022. "Even though he is gone, he left a piece of himself," she said in a victim impact statement to the court. "Raising our daughter without him is incredibly hard." Mr Ring's killer Malwal Aweng, 28, listened silently to her statement as he faced a pre-sentencing hearing on Friday morning. The victim was at a reserve in Melbourne's west with Ms Anyang when an argument broke out between Aweng and the woman. The confrontation became physical and Mr Ring tried to intervene as the pair began shoving each other and throwing punches. At one point, Aweng grabbed a knife out of his girlfriend's bag and slashed Ms Anyang's neck before stabbing Mr Ring in the abdomen. Mr Ring was able to stay on his feet and ran to a nearby car to grab a pole to defend himself, causing Aweng to flee. The victim then stumbled to a nearby community centre for help but he collapsed at the entrance. Paramedics tried to revive the 32-year-old but he was declared dead at Sunshine Hospital shortly after midnight on December 31. Aweng wanted to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter but prosecutors persisted with the murder charge at trial. A Supreme Court jury in April found Aweng guilty of Mr Ring's murder. Ms Anyang said she had lost not only her partner but her best friend. "He was the person I said good morning and good night to every day," she said. "His absence has left a huge hole in all our lives." Mr Ring's mother Awatif Ring described her grief as overwhelming, saying she was left in a state of despair that continued to persist. "The joy and purpose that once defined my existence has faded away," she said in her statement to the court. "I hope for justice that reflects the depths of our pain." Aweng's barrister Paul Smallwood said the statements from Mr Ring's family painted a very clear and tragic picture. "Mr Aweng recognises that what he did was heinous," the barrister said. "He recognises Mr Ring was a good person who deserved to be safe." Aweng had accepted responsibility for his crimes and shown some degree of sincere remorse, Mr Smallwood said. The defence accepted there were aggravating features in the offending, including that the killer was armed with a weapon while his victim was not. The 28-year-old was also on bail and a community corrections order at the time of the murder. But Mr Smallwood urged Justice Andrew Tinney to find Aweng was not without hope of rehabilitation. Mr Smallwood conceded Aweng had a history of violent offending but said his client was starting to understand that alcohol and drugs were leading him to crime. "He is amenable to treatment," the barrister said. Crown prosecutor Jim Shaw told the court Aweng's prospects of rehabilitation were poor and the judge must focus on protection of the community when considering the sentence. Justice Tinney will hand down sentence at a later date.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Disorganised crime': teens may have stabbed wrong man
Two boys charged with a stabbing murder might have been hired for the hit before targeting the wrong man in a case police have labelled "disorganised crime". Luke Manassa was stabbed outside a house in Pemulwuy in Sydney's west on June 26 by two masked assailants armed with machetes who were lying in wait in the driveway. Mr Manassa tried to escape to his ute and drive away but only travelled a few hundred metres before being overcome by his injuries and dying at the scene. Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were due to face a children's court charged with murder on Friday. The pair were arrested on Thursday morning but cannot be identified due to their age. The 17-year-old was on bail when Mr Manassa was killed. Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi said the teens were known to police for past violent behaviour and association with street gangs. "We believe that these younger offenders were contracted by someone to conduct this killing," Det Supt Doueihi told reporters. But there was no evidence linking Mr Manassa's alleged killers to the wider spate of organised crime violence in Sydney. "It's a very amateurish offence by these offenders," Det Supt Doueihi said. "If anything, I'd call it disorganised crime." Mr Manassa's family are adamant he was not the intended victim and police confirmed he was not known to authorities prior to his death. He did not live at the house he arrived at when he was stabbed but visited there occasionally. "The occupants of that location are known to Luke and are also known to NSW Police," Det Supt Doueihi said. Police have seized a red Kia the teens allegedly used to flee the scene. The pair are the latest in a string of young people allegedly caught up in Sydney's organised crime wave. On Wednesday, two 15-year-old boys were charged over two shootings in Sydney's southwest in June, one of which also involved a potential case of mistaken identity. "The problem is that these young children don't understand the consequences of their actions," Det Supt Doueihi said. "They could end up dead themselves, or they could be victims of some form of retaliation by the people that they tried to target." The killing of plumber John Versace at Condell Park in May was another high-profile case of suspected mistaken identity.
