HMP Long Lartin inmates jailed over prison mutiny as guards attacked and wing torched

Three inmates who were part of a £100,000 prison mutiny which saw guards attacked with pool balls as they torched a wing of the lock-up have been handed extra jail time. Officers at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire sounded alarms as they fled amid the onslaught in September 2019.

The prisoners, who brandished makeshift weapons and wore masks to hide their identities, took control of the wing and smashed CCTV cameras, causing floods and built barricades before they set fire to the area.

Specialist "tornado" teams from other prisons across the country, including HMP Birmingham, raced to Long Lartin and regained control within ten minutes, West Mercia Police said. But the damage was so great that inmates had to be transferred to other jails.

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The cost of the damage was put at more than £110,000. Today, Friday, May 17, the West Mercia force revealed three prisoners - who were already serving long sentences - had been sentenced. It did not make clear the charges or pleas entered or give the name of the court where the prisoners were dealt with.

Dean Cody, 38, was sentenced to 45 months to run consecutively to the 21 years he was already serving. Derek Law, 40, was given 40 months, to run consecutively to the 19 years he was serving. And John Ward, 43, was sentenced to 16 months, to run concurrently to the 32 years he was already serving.

Three other men are due to be sentenced later this year, West Mercia Police said. Another man is due to face trial in September.

The sentences were welcomed by Det Chief Insp Mark Bellamy, who led the investigation. He said: "I am pleased with the outcome today after a detailed and thorough investigation that lasted almost three years. We worked closely with HM Prison Service and together we hope this is a clear message that behaviour such as this will not be tolerated inside our prisons.

“Along with the cost by the damage caused, it is important to highlight the impact this incident had on the wider communities of Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Teams from the fire service, the ambulance service and West Mercia Police were committed for two days during the mutiny, taking valuable services away from our local communities.”