Jamie Acourt: Drug kingpin suspected of Stephen Lawrence murder attacked in jail

A man who was a suspect in the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence has been attacked by a fellow inmate - days after starting a jail term for running a £3m drugs plot.

Jamie Acourt was arrested after a gang of white men attacked the 18-year-old in Eltham in 1993, but he has denied being involved in the stabbing.

The 42-year-old, from southeast London, was jailed for nine years earlier this month for masterminding a two-year conspiracy to sell cannabis resin.

It has now emerged that another prisoner has attacked Acourt at HMP Wandsworth in southwest London.

Acourt was punched in the back of the head while preparing for exercise on Wednesday morning, according to The Sun.

The paper reported Acourt instantly fell to the floor before officers stepped in.

A spokeswoman for the prison service confirmed an inmate had been put on report for punching another prisoner and added that the victim did not require medical treatment.

Acourt spent more than two years on the run, living in Spain under the alias Simon Alfonzo, until he was arrested in May.

At a trial at Kingston Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to his part in the conspiracy which moved about 750kg of the drug with an estimated street value of approximately £3m.

His older brother Neil had already been jailed for more than six years for his involvement when Jamie was sentenced on 7 December.

Police arrested the brothers shortly after the murder of Mr Lawrence but neither was convicted.

Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted at the Old Bailey in 2012 of murdering Mr Lawrence and jailed for life.