Emergency services raced to HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire following reports that a prison officer was left with ‘serious injuries’ after being stabbed this morning
A prison officer has been rushed to hospital after he was reportedly stabbed with a flick knife this morning.
Emergency services rushed to HMP Long Lartin at around 10 am this morning, following reports that an inmate knifed an officer. It has been reported that the weapon was dropped into the prison via a drone.
A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed the attack and said an investigation is underway. They said: “Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Long Lartin. We will not tolerate assaults on hardworking staff and will always push for the strongest punishments against perpetrators.”
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police added: “We were called to HMP Long Lartin in South Littleton around 10am this morning (Friday, May 30), following a report someone had been assaulted by an inmate.
“One man was taken to hospital with serious injuries after sustaining a stab wound. The inmate remains within the prison and the investigation is on-going. ”
The jail is known to hold some of the UK’s most notorious criminals including Thomas Cashman, who murderered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, reports Mail Online.
The nine-year-old was gunned down inside her home after Cashman forced his way inside of the property on August 22, 2022. Earlier this year, the killer hit headlines for being busted dealing drugs inside of the prison. He was making £5,000 per week when he shot Olivia inside her home in Dovecot.
Joanna Yeates’ killer Vincent Tabak is also behind bars at the prison. He strangled the 25-year-old in her flat in Clifton. Her lifeless body was dumped in a country road near Bristol on Christmas Day in 2010.
Last month, cops spotted a drone operator attempting to deliver drugs to the prison. West Mercia Police revealed at the time that seven drones had been confiscated.
One local resident told the BBC: “We’ve had five, six, seven drones at once sometimes. These are large helicopter-style drones capable of lifting reasonable-sized packages.”
Another person said: “They come across on a regular basis. Usually at night. You can have two or three in an evening sometimes.”
Detective Chief Inspector James Bamber from south Worcestershire previously said: “We recognise that these drone incursions are also impacting our communities local to HMP Long Lartin.
“I want to reassure those residents that we are working tirelessly alongside our partners to identify, target and prosecute the criminals behind these illicit operations.”