Huntley sues over prison attack (From Your Local Guardian)

Huntley sues over prison attack

12:20am Saturday 31st July 2010 in

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"Compensation culture" within our jails has been blamed after it emerged Soham murderer Ian Huntley is suing the prison service following a serious attack by another inmate.

The killer of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman had his throat slashed in March and now claims the prison service failed in their duty of care towards him.

It was reported he could win almost £100,000 in damages, though the Ministry of Justice said the claim would be "vigorously defended".

Colin Moses, national chairman of the Prison Officers Association (POA), said: "This fits right in with something we think is overtaking the prison service - a compensation culture from inmates."

The former school caretaker, who murdered the 10-year-old friends in Cambridgeshire in 2002 and is serving a life sentence, was left scarred by the attack at Frankland Prison, County Durham.

He is alleged to have been cut with a razor blade by Damien Fowkes and needed hospital treatment.

The week before Huntley was stabbed, three prison officers at the jail were stabbed and seriously injured by an inmate with a piece of glass. He faces attempted murder charges.

Mr Moses said: "This claim has to be set against the levels of compensation for staff who are attacked.

"We have just had a report produced which has found there is a higher number of attacks on staff than ever before.

"We have to fight for every penny we can for members, who are working in what is now a very violent place."