Shocking CCTV shows moment inmate tries to murder prison officer with sharpened plastic knife

Watch: Shocking CCTV shows moment inmate tries to murder prison officer with sharpened knife

This is the shocking moment an inmate lunged at a prison officer with a knife after 'stalking' him around a jail.

The officer was escorting Kevin Jones to his cell at HMP Bullingdon near Bicester when the inmate pulled a sharpened plastic knife from his pocket and swung it at his neck in an attempt to kill him.

Jones, 41, has been convicted of attempted murder after he attacked the guard, who was then 28, in July 2021.

The officer was alerted to the danger and managed to avoid the attack while Jones was restrained on the floor by other officers.

Jones, now of Broadmoor Hospital, Crowthorne, Berkshire, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count each of attempted murder and unauthorised possession in prison of a knife or offensive weapon at Reading Crown Court.

CCTV of the incident showed him trying to stalk the victim around the unit until they were both on the same landing at the same time, outside the wing office, before launching the attack.

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In an interview afterwards, Jones - who had a grudge against the officer - admitted his intention was to stab and kill him with the weapon he had created.

Following his sentencing, Investigating officer PC Andrew Gold, of the Prison Crime Team, said: "This was a very serious and unprovoked attack on a prison officer in the course of his duties.

"This is something Thames Valley Police simply will not tolerate and will always seek to bring offenders before the courts.

"Had the victim not been so alert as to the danger he was in and avoided the attack, the outcome could have been very different.

"Fortunately, the victim did not receive any physical injuries but he has suffered mentally, such as stress and anxiety, which has affected both his professional and personal lives.

"I am very pleased that the courts recognised the significant threat posed by Jones, and imposed a substantial custodial sentence."

Prison officer 'the most dangerous job in Western Europe', says union

The role of a prison officer has been dubbed the "most dangerous workplace in Western Europe" by one union.

Mick Pimblett, from the Prison Officers Association, commented after reports that almost 1,000 officers were hospitalised in 2021 alone.

The Mirror reported that 239 compensation claims won by English and Welsh prison staff between 2017 and 2022 had seen officers assaulted at work receive more than £12 million in compensation - but those were just a fraction of the problem of violence against staff in prisons.

He said: "These figures are no surprise – it’s the most dangerous workplace in Western Europe.

"Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service exacerbate the situation by not protecting our members’ health and safety. From unsafe staffing levels, exposure to psychoactive substances, a lack of first aiders and inadequate risk assessments, HMPPS are complicit in the injuries our members sustain."

According to the Mirror, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act also revealed that £3.55 million was paid to 346 prisoners attacked by other inmates.

A prison service spokesman said it successfully defends two-thirds of litigation claims and if inmates are awarded compensation, efforts are made to make sure they pay their victims back first.