Police investigating alleged attack on prison officer by Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana
9 May 2025, 22:03 | Updated: 10 May 2025, 08:23
Police are investigating an alleged attack on a prison officer by Southport triple killer Axel Rudakubana.
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The alleged attacked on a prison officer by Southport triple murderer Axel Rudakubana took place on Thursday.
The convict allegedly heated up water in a kettle in his cell, and then threw the boiling water at a prison officer.
It is claimed he threw the water at the prison officer through the hatch in the door of his cell, Sky News reports.
The prison officer was reportedly taken to hospital as a precaution, but came away with minor injuries.
"Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh yesterday," a Prison Service spokesperson told the outlet.
"Violence in prison will not be tolerated and we will always push for the strongest possible punishment for attacks on our hardworking staff."
Rudakubana was arrested after his attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in which he killed Elsie Stancombe, seven, six-year-old Bebe King and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar.
The teenager was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years - one of the highest minimum terms on record.
He also attacked eight other children and one of the instructors of the class, Leanne Lucas, as well as businessman John Hayes, who attempted to disarm him.
The prison officer involved in the alleged attack was released from hospital the same day, Sky News reports.
They are expected to go back to work next week at south-east London's Belmarsh prison.
The hatches in prison cell doors are usually used to pass medication to prisoners.
It comes just weeks after Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, allegedly attacked prison officers.
Abedi attacked three officers using hot cooking oil, before stabbing them with an improvised weapon, it is claimed.
Abedi, who is being held at HMP Frankland in County Durham for his role in the deadly attack eight years ago, inflicted "life-threatening" injuries on the three officers, according to the Prison Officers Association (POA).
