Latest news with #HMPFosseWay
Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Telegraph
Neighbours of Britain's newest prison ‘plagued by constant swearing and rap music'
Residents living next to one of Britain's newest prisons claim their lives are being disrupted by loud rap music and swearing from inmates. HMP Fosse Way is one of Britain's newest prisons, built in 2023 at a cost of £286 million. The state-of-the-art facility in Leicestershire houses 1,700 lower-risk prisoners with greater freedoms to reintegrate into society as they approach the end of their sentences. But those living nearby have claimed the increased liberty has come at their expense. Warren Sim, a 56-year-old managing director who lives yards from the prison's perimeter fence, likened the noises coming from the complex to a 'jumbo jet' taking off. The father of four said: 'We live a couple of hundred metres away from the nearest wing, where our garden ends there's a trainline and the other side of that is the prison ground. 'The noise is absolutely ridiculous. Prisoners are shouting out of the window, effing and blinding at each other, and explicit rap music is so loud you hear it in our garden.' Jaclyn Tierney, 47, added that she has had to limit her two children playing in the garden due to the foul language coming from the prison. She said: 'The thing that grinds my gears is the music which is that loud it's like my neighbours are playing it. It's so obscene, it's the f-word, the n-word. 'I won't let my kids in the garden, I don't want them listening to that. I can't believe they're listening to that sort of music in there, given that they're in prison. Everybody is absolutely sick of it, they've just had enough.' Chris Hasler, 46, said he worried about the impact the prison would have on the value of his home. The father of one said: 'We were told when it was being built that the cells would face inwards. It's got closer, higher and from my son's bedroom window you can literally see the prisoners on the landing. 'In some of the houses you literally have prisoners looking into your home. It's not just the noise, nobody wants that, it's the privacy, too.' The prison, operated by Serco, stands on the former site of Glen Parva Young Offenders' Institution. It features five-a-side pitches, table tennis tables, gaming consoles in cells, and a studio for learning music and technical skills. A £100,000 simulator teaches prisoners to operate HGVs and forklift trucks. In February last year, a 35-year-old inmate was found dead in his cell. Meanwhile, over the course of 2022 and 2023, 58 inmates absconded. A spokesperson for Serco, which runs the prison, said: 'We have implemented a number of measures to reduce the noise of extractor fans and loud music, and we remain committed to working with the local community to find suitable resolutions where possible.' Blaby district council added: 'We have been working closely with prison operators Serco to advise them on ways they can manage noise issues to reduce any impact on local residents. 'If people are experiencing issues then please contact our environmental health department as both ourselves and Serco are keen to ensure any disturbance from the site is kept to a minimum.' It comes as the Government faces criticism from residents across the country set to be impacted by its programme to see four new prisons built over the next seven years to solve the overcrowding crisis. Last December, villagers in Ulnes Walton, Lancashire, protested plans for a third prison in their area, claiming it could leave them outnumbered by inmates. Angela Rayner decided to go ahead with the plans, despite concern from an independent planning inspector.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
We live next to Britain's newest prison: Rowdy inmates are making our lives hell by blasting loud music and swearing - they can even see into our homes
Fed–up locals living next to one of Britain's newest prisons say their lives have been made hell by rowdy inmates playing loud rap music and swearing 24/7. HMP Fosse Way in Leicestershire cost a staggering £286 million to build and officially opened in June 2023. Run by government contracting juggernaut Serco, it houses around 1,700 prisoners coming to the end of their sentences - meaning they enjoy more freedoms and luxuries than the average lag as they are prepared for their return to decent society. But locals living in its shadow in Glen Parva say they are plagued by loud noises booming from the category C jail at all hours of the day and night, and that the jail's presence has sent home insurance prices rocketing. Sales data from Rightmove suggests homes in the village have appreciated in value by around three per cent in the last year. On one of the streets the prison looms over they have fallen by the same amount. The prison has recently been roundly criticised for its safety record by inspectors who visited months after a convict was beaten to death in his cell - with some locals worried that absconders will try to break into their homes. Managing director Warren Sim, 56, who lives yards from the perimeter fence, likened the noise of its fans - thought to be a combination of air con units and kitchen ventilation - to a 'jumbo jet taking off'. The father–of–four said: 'We live a couple of hundred metres away from the nearest wing, where our garden ends there's a trainline and the other side of that is the prison ground. The noise is absolutely ridiculous. 'Prisoners are shouting out of the window, effing and blinding at each other, and explicit rap music is so loud you hear it in our garden. 'Then there are the alarms that go off all the time. When an alarm goes off it should be dealt with quickly, but sometimes you hear it blaring away for 30 minutes.' Mr Sim also has questions about the barless windows, which were meant to be sealed to deter drone-based smuggling. He added: 'I heard the building should have been built with non-opening windows so they can't shout out of them but they clearly can. When I'm on the phone even my customers ask me if I live near the airport. 'We've spent a lot of money on our home. I've spent an extreme amount of money to make the back garden pleasurable but we can't enjoy it. 'We're moving to France shortly which means we're going to have to sell up but no one is going to buy it while we have the ultimate noisy neighbours. 'The prison management need to address the issues. Imagine the estate agent coming around and hearing the loud fans and music and shouting.' Fosse Way is spread across a 16-acre site and has 'secure' perimeter walls that are 5.2 metres high. But a recent inspection report has raised 'significant concerns' over its operation, with a 'steady rise' in violence and illicit drug use, with substances thrown over the walls or smuggled in by prisoners and even by staff. Inmates told inspectors during an unannounced visit in March that they felt 'unsafe', with around 360 disciplinary charges laid against prisoners every month for violence, contraband and drug use. At least nine prisoners have died serving sentences, including Mahir Abdulrahman, 31, who was murdered by 19-year-old Ashirie Smith in August last year while serving a sentence for a sexual offence. A chilling video showed him smirking seconds before he entered Abdulrahman's cell and stamped on his head and neck in a vicious assault lasting just 37 seconds. Smith was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 and a half years while co-conspirator Thierry Robinson, 21, was jailed for 11 years after being found guilty of manslaughter for his role in the killing. The court had been told Abdulrahman had thrown a kettle of hot water at the pair the day before after they taunted him. Serco says it has an action plan in place to address the HM Inspectorate of Prison's concerns - but locals say they're still worried about the impact the facility is having on their lives. Mother–of–two Jaclyn Tierney, 47, said she won't let her children play in their garden in case they hear foul language from prisoners or their music. She said: 'The fan can go off any time and can be on for hours. Last week it was on for six hours. It sounds like an airport: I used to live next to one and it sounds exactly like a jet taking off. 'The other thing that grinds my gears is the music which is that loud it's like my neighbours are playing it. It's so obscene, it's the f–word, the n–word. 'I won't let my kids in the garden, I don't want them listening to that. I can't believe they're listening to that sort of music in there, given that they're in prison. 'Everybody is absolutely sick of it, they've just had enough.' Father–of–one Chris Hasler, 46, said he was worried about the impact of the prison on the value of his home. He said: 'There's a tree that could fall down into our garden at any time that's on the prison land but they won't do anything with it. 'We were told when it was being built that the cells would face inwards. That was a lie. It's got closer, higher and from my son's bedroom window you can literally see the prisoners on the landing. 'In some of the houses you literally have prisoners looking into your home. It's not just the noise, nobody wants that, it's the privacy, too.' Along with the common gripe of Fosse Way's huge air conditioners, Mr Hasler added that the prison is also a constant source of light. It's so strong that the local birds tweet throughout the night, convinced it's dawn. He summed up: 'You've got light pollution, noise, disrepair and people can see into your windows. 'I've lived on this estate for 35 years. When they said were building it we weren't supposed to have this. Everyone is having disturbed sleep. 'It's not nice having prisoners look into your bedroom windows. God only knows how it's dropped the house prices by.' Between 2023 and last year 58 inmates absconded from the jail and last February Ashley Ferrie, 35, became the first inmate to die in the prison after he hanged himself in his cell. One resident, who did not want to be named, said: 'The prison may be for so–called petty criminals but they are still criminals. 'I've always worried about prisoners escaping and breaking into people's homes. I've heard from some people that insurance companies are very twitchy about people living so close to a prison.' The prison was built on the site of the former Glen Parva Young Offenders' Institution, and opened in May 2023. It boasts five–a–side football pitches, table tennis areas as well as having access to games consoles and computers in their cells. There is a plush studio for them to learn music technical skills, how to make and repair spectacles, and a £100,000 digger simulation to learn how to handle a forklift truck or drive HGVs. These were built to encourage prisoners to learn a vocation behind bars in order to become more employable on the outside - but prompted accusations that it was 'woke' and too soft on criminals. Serco said it had implemented 'a number of measures' to tackle the problems. A spokesperson said: 'We have implemented a number of measures to reduce the noise of extractor fans and loud music, and we remain committed to working with the local community to find suitable resolutions where possible.' Blaby District Council said it was also in contact with prison bosses. It said in a statement: 'We have been working closely with prison operators Serco to advise them on ways they can manage noise issues to reduce any impact on local residents. 'If people are experiencing issues then please contact our environmental health department as both ourselves and Serco are keen to ensure any disturbance from the site is kept to a minimum.'
The Sun
10-07-2025
- The Sun
We live in shadow of plush new £286m prison where rowdy lags make our lives hell playing loud rap music & swearing 24/7
FED-UP locals living next to one of Britain's newest prisons say their lives are made hell by rowdy inmates playing loud rap music and swearing 24/7. HMP Fosse Way in Leicestershire costs a staggering £286 million and houses prisoners coming to the end of their sentences. 9 9 9 As a result, the 1,700 inmates enjoy far more freedoms in a bid to prepare them for life on the outside. But locals living in its shadow say they are plagued by loud noises booming from the category C jail at all hours of the day and night. Residents are also worried that prisoners who abscond could target their properties, sending their home insurance rocketing. Managing director Warren Sim, 56, who lives yards from the prison's perimeter fence, likened the noises to a "jumbo jet" taking off. The dad-of-four said: "We live a couple of hundred metres away from the nearest wing, where our garden ends there's a trainline and the other side of that is the prison ground. "The noise is absolutely ridiculous. "Prisoners are shouting out of the window, effing and blinding at each other, and explicit rap music is so loud you hear it in our garden. "Then there are the alarms that go off all the time. When an alarm goes off it should be dealt with quickly, but sometimes you hear it blaring away for 30 minutes. "Then there's the air conditioning fans. "It sounds like there's a jumbo jet taking off in our garden. You go to any hospital in the UK and they don't sound like that. I think someone in the build has got it incredibly wrong. "I also heard the building should have been built with non-opening windows so they can't shout out of them but they clearly can. "We've spent a lot of money on our home. I've spent an extreme amount of money to make the back garden pleasurable but we can't enjoy it. "We're moving to France shortly which means we're going to have to sell up but no one is going to buy it while we have the ultimate noisy neighbours. "The prison management need to address the issues. Imagine the estate agent coming around and hearing the loud fans and music and shouting. 9 9 9 "It's all quite random times. You just hear the fans fire up and then you have to shut the patio doors. When I'm on the phone even my customers ask me if I live near the airport." Mum-of-two Jaclyn Tierney, 47, said she won't let her children play in their garden in case they hear foul language coming from the prison. She said: "The fan can go off any time and can be on for hours. "Last week it was on for six hours. It sounds like an airport, I used to live next to one and it sounds exactly like a jet taking off. "The other thing that grinds my gears is the music which is that loud it's like my neighbours are playing it. It's so obscene, it's the f-word, the n-word. "I won't let my kids in the garden, I don't want them listening to that. "I can't believe they're listening to that sort of music in there, given that they're in prison. "Everybody is absolutely sick of it, they've just had enough." Dad-of-one Chris Hasler, 46, said he was worried about the impact of the prison on the value of his home. He said: "There's a tree that could fall down into our garden at any time that's on the prison land but they won't do anything with it. "We were told when it was being built that the cells would face inwards. That was a lie. "It's got closer, higher and from my son's bedroom window you can literally see the prisoners on the landing. "In some of the houses you literally have prisoners looking into your home. "It's not just the noise, nobody wants that, it's the privacy, too. "The noise is not just the prisoners playing music. They have a giant fan that can go on all day, from 9am in the morning until 5pm. "The prison say it's something to do with the kitchen fans. Also the lighting in the prison means it is never dark. If you get up in the middle of the night and it's like it's daylight. "The birds chirp throughout the night because they think it's dawn. "You've got light pollution, noise, disrepair and people can see into your windows. "I've lived on this estate for 35 years. When they said were building it we weren't supposed to have this. Everyone is having disturbed sleep. "It's not nice having prisoners look into your bedroom windows. "God only knows how it's dropped the house prices by." BEHIND BARS Between 2023 and last year, 58 inmates absconded from the jail. Last February, Ashley Ferrie, 35, became the first inmate to die in the prison after he hanged himself in his cell. One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "The prison may be for so-called petty criminals but they are still criminals. "I've always worried about prisoners escaping and breaking into people's homes. "I've heard from some people that insurance companies are very twitchy about people living so close to a prison." The prison was built on the site of the former Glen Parva Young Offenders' Institution, and opened in May 2023. It boasts five-a-side football pitches, table tennis areas as well as having access to games consoles and computers in their cells. There is a plush studio for them to learn music technical skills, how to make and repair spectacles, and a £100,000 digger simulation to learn how to handle a forklift truck or drive HGVs. Serco, which runs the prison, said it had implemented "a number of measures" to tackle the problems. A spokesperson said: "We have implemented a number of measures to reduce the noise of extractor fans and loud music, and we remain committed to working with the local community to find suitable resolutions where possible." Blaby District Council said they were also in contact with prison bosses. A spokesperson added: "We have been working closely with prison operators Serco to advise them on ways they can manage noise issues to reduce any impact on local residents. "If people are experiencing issues then please contact our environmental health department as both ourselves and Serco are keen to ensure any disturbance from the site is kept to a minimum." 9 9 9
BBC News
08-07-2025
- BBC News
Frustration over noise and shouting from Leicestershire prison
"There's a few of our friends who do not understand why we would want to live here with the noise and aggressive shouting," says Mick Calter and his wife Marie have lived in Knightsbridge Road in Glen Parva, Leicestershire, for 24 years and described the area as once being "peaceful and quiet".But the couple and other residents say that changed in May 2023 when HMP Fosse Way opened, leading to complaints of loud music, prisoners shouting and noise from an extractor fan soon which operates the prison on the site of the former Glen Parva young offenders institution, said it had implemented "a number of measures" to tackle the issue. In December 2022, plans were approved for an additional four-storey block to be built on the site to allow the prison to accommodate an extra 250 inmates. The Calters' home backs on to the category C prison, where there was a "steady rise" in violence in the 12 months prior to an inspection in March, according to a recent report. "Sometimes when you have got friends around, and it kicks off at the prison, it can be quite embarrassing," said Mr 68-year-old told the BBC a noisy extractor fan at the prison could "come on at any time and run for a full hour".Sometimes, he added, it was "just impossible to sleep", describing the noise as "very invasive". Warren Sim is self-employed and works at his home in Westleigh Road, where he has lived for the last seven years with his wife 56-year-old said: "I constantly get interruptions from what is coming from behind."The music content should not be distributed over the whole neighbourhood. I do not know what the restrictions in this facility achieve."We are only here for a short period of time. Do not infect us with that noise. We have put so much effort into this home, and this makes us feel worthless." Reports of shouting from inmates and loud music, some of which includes explicit language, have been passed on to both Serco and Blaby District prison operator said it had met with the authority to try to resolve the problem.A spokesperson added: "We have implemented a number of measures to reduce the noise of extractor fans and loud music, and we remain committed to working with the local community to find suitable resolutions where possible."Blaby District Council told the BBC it took complaints about noise and nuisance seriously.A spokesperson added: "We have been working closely with prison operators Serco to advise them on ways they can manage noise issues to reduce any impact on local residents."If people are experiencing issues then please contact our environmental health department as both ourselves and Serco are keen to ensure any disturbance from the site is kept to a minimum."
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
How 17-year-old petty criminal serving three years turned into a vicious killer after just four months behind bars at Britain's wokest prison
A teenage petty criminal became a vicious killer just months into a sentence at a prison that has been seen as the most woke in the UK. Ashirie Smith, 19, murdered Mahir Abdulrahman, 31, by brutally stamping on his head and neck inside his cell at HMP Fosse Way in Leicestershire on August 20 last year. He has now been given a new jail term of life with a minimum of 17 and a half years - having previously been held for four months ahead of the attack, convicted for possessing a gun. The category C prison has been mocked by critics for resembling student halls, with inmates also given their own personal computers that double up as TVs. State-of-the-art facilities include a music classroom where record company representatives can help offenders train in music production for industry qualifications, a new library and an artificial turf sports pitch. Footage from inside the 'Scandinavian-style' jail, housing 1,715 inmates, revealed a ping pong table for inmates to enjoy as well as workshops available - while cells have bar-less windows. Among its offerings is a construction vehicle simulator - an exercise not too far removed from playing video games. The conditions previously sparked outrage on social media, with one writing: 'Lovely hotel, be nice for a weekend away.' HNP Fosse was officially opened in June 2023, with a visit by the then-Conservative govenment's justice secretary Alex Chalk. The jail is operated by private contractors Serco, who have issued a statement following the sentencing of Smith for the fatal attack on Abdulrahman, who was serving a 35-week sentence for a sexual offence. Serco prison director Wyn Jones said: 'Any death in prison is a tragedy but the murder of Mr Abdulrahman was a heinous act. 'My thoughts remain with his family and those affected by his untimely death. 'Since the tragedy, our focus has been to bring those responsible to justice by working with the police to secure a conviction. I hope the verdicts will bring closure for his family.' Smith was caught on CCTV leaving his cell with a smirk on his face before battering to death Abdulrahman who was found unresponsive by a female prison officer inside his cell with horrific injuries and suffering a cardiac arrest on August 20 last year. Abdulrahman died at the scene about an hour later, with a post mortem later revealing he died from a sub arachnoid basal haemorrhage - bleeding to an area of the brain. A court heard Abdulrahman was subjected to taunts by Smith and another inmate, Thierry Robinson, 21, which ended up with him throwing a hot kettle at them. Social media users have compared conditions at HMP Fosse to student accommodation The next day Smith launched the fatal attack after a prison officer unlocked his cell door before continuing their rounds that morning. CCTV shows Robinson smirking in the corridor outside Smith's cell before emerging topless and entering Abdulrahman's cell. Smith and Robinson emerge and calmly walk away from the cell just 37 seconds later, leaving Abdulrahman to die. Smith was then seen to re-enter the cell and exit again shortly after having carried out the vicious assault. Police and ambulance crews were called and found Abdulrahman in cardiac arrest at 7.45am but he could not be saved and died an hour later. Smith was found guilty of murder at Leicester Crown Court and was jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 17 and a half years behind bars. Robinson was acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment. A third defendant, 38-year-old Shaan Karim, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter. Ahead of his initial term at HMP Fosse Way, Smith had filmed incriminating videos of himself wearing a balaclava and waving a gun while dancing around. Police raided the home of Smith, then aged 17, in Birmingham in November 2023 and found a loaded pistol, as well as the damning clips on his mobile phone. Officers had received intelligence ahead of the raid that he was keeping a firearm at his house. Dramatic bodycam footage showed armed officers slowly approach Smith's home at 3.25am before smashing the window of the property's front door. Loud screaming was then heard as police shouted: 'Armed police, come to the front of your house with nothing in your hand.' During the raid, officers found a Walther pistol loaded with five 9mm bullets underneath a mattress and arrested the teenager. Police then found the incriminating videos which see Smith wearing a balaclava and a baseball cap and waving the weapon around while pointing it at the camera. In another clip, the teenager is dancing and spinning around in circles as he holds the pistol. Armed officers pictured during the raid which involved police smash the window on Smith's front door He is also seen emptying bullets from the gun towards the camera and brandishing the weapon and ammunition on a mattress. After his arrest, Smith admitted to possession of a firearm and ammunition and was jailed for three years at Birmingham Crown Court in April last year - just four months before he killed Abdulrahman. Smith's fellow defendant Robinson can be seen performing in 'drill' rap videos shared online, performing under the name 'Trills'. He was previously the subject of a missing persons appeal issued by Warwickshire Police in April 2019, when aged 15. Speaking after yesterday's verdicts, Det Insp Mark Parish, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: 'The injuries suffered by Mahir Abdulrahman showed a serious, sustained attack had taken place which ultimately led to his death. 'Thanks to the hard work of the investigation team, Smith and Robinson have been convicted in court and will now have to face responsibility for their actions.'
