Yorkshire killer at centre of 'beheading' during prison yard execution

-Credit: (Image: BBC)
-Credit: (Image: BBC)


Concerns have been raised about the amount of time it took for prison staff to intervene in a fatal attack on an inmate.

Prison inmate and convicted killer Taras Nykolyn died after he was attacked by three other prisoners in a prison exercise yard, among them convicted Yorkshire killer James George Brabbs, formerly of Carnot Street, York, who was serving a long sentence having murdered a van driver in Easingwold, North Yorkshire, in 2012.

During the prison attack, a torn bed sheet was tied around the victim's neck during an attempt to behead his corpse, according to reports. A number of makeshift weapons - 'shanks' - were used in the 'planned execution' attack. Nykolyn was attacked because he was 'foreign' and had mental health issues, a court heard later. The weapons included knives made from razor blades.

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The Prisons Ombudsman has now published a report into the murder of Taras Nykolyn, 49, in June 2018 while an inmate at HMP Woodhill. Nykolyn had previously carried out an unprovoked attack on a stranger and while on remand had killed his cellmate by assaulting him with a television. The Ombudsman noted that Nykolyn was a Ukrainian national who said he had lived in the UK since 2002 under an alias. There is evidence he had applied for asylum but his immigration status was unclear at the time of his death, the Ombudsman said.

The report described the attack as extended and extremely brutal. The Ombudsman said it appeared to be pre-planned but there was no information available to staff to suggest Nykolyn was at risk.

The Ombudsman wrote: "However, I am concerned that while the mix of prisoners on the unit was clearly a dangerous one, all four prisoners exercised together, unlike the practice at other special units. In addition, there were weaknesses in some other aspects of security and risk assessment in the unit. I am also very concerned at the lack of co-ordination and urgency in the response once the attack on Mr Nykolyn began, and the fact that there was no contingency plan for an incident in the exercise yard."

Killers, from left, James Brabbs, Jibreel Raheem and Stephen Boorman, attacked a fellow inmate with makeshift weapons in 2018. -Credit:Thames Valley Police
Killers, from left, James Brabbs, Jibreel Raheem and Stephen Boorman, attacked a fellow inmate with makeshift weapons in 2018. -Credit:Thames Valley Police

The attack continued for just over 30 minutes until officers entered the yard, dressed in protective clothing, and the inmates surrendered. All three attackers were later convicted of murder.

Commenting on the delay, the Ombudsman said: "We are very concerned that around 32 minutes elapsed between the start of the attack on Mr Nykolyn and staff entering the exercise yard to rescue him and that the perpetrators continued to assault him during this time. It appears that there was no contingency plan for dealing with any incidents in the exercise yard. We cannot say whether the delay affected the outcome for Mr Nykolyn, but we consider that it was unacceptably long."

The attack was carried out by ringleader Stephen Boorman, Jibreel Raheem and James Brabbs. Brabbs was in jail for murder and the attempted murder of another inmate. In April 2017, he had tried to strangle another prisoner at HMP Wakefield. Brabbs stabbed delivery driver Mohammed Saleem Khan in the throat in Easingwold in 2012 after trying to rob him at knifepoint. He reportedly fled, leaving Mr Khan to bleed to death. He was jailed for life for the murder.

The Ombudsman's report has made a number of recommendations.

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