UK's Most Notorious Prisons

Caged Britain

Stabbings, strangulations, violent beatings – just some of the crimes that have landed many of Britain’s 90,000 prisoners a stint in the slammer. But once the high profile court case and subsequent sentencing has taken place, where do these offenders go? Are they merrily playing scrabble with their fellow inmates, or constantly being attacked by their fellow inmates with homemade shivs? Are they living in harmony with the prison guards or fiendishly plotting elaborate escape plans? By probing behind the doors of Britain’s most notorious prisons and psychiatric hospitals, we look at their history, the current climate, who’s serving time where and, more importantly, which inmates are still a threat today.

BROADMOOR HOSPITAL

Previously known as Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane, this high-security psychiatric hospital in Berkshire has been home to some of Britain’s most dangerous and unstable criminals since its opening in 1863. It currently houses 260 patients – all men – including Peter Sutcliffe (The Yorkshire Ripper), and Kenneth Erskine (The Stockwell Strangler).

Breakouts The first successful breakout was by serial killer John Straffen in 1952. Given a job as a cleaner, Straffen asked his supervisor if he could go into the yard and shake out his duster. On being granted permission, he climbed on to the roof of a shed, then leapt over the adjoining prison wall. On getting out, Straffen killed again, and was back in prison 24 hours later.

Craziest Inmate Freddie Krueger-obsessed serial killer Daniel Gonzalez was sent to Broadmoor after his drug-fuelled stabbing spree in 2004. Inspired by A Nightmare On Elm Street and Friday 13th, he wore a Jason-style hockey mask and slaughtered four people in London and Sussex before being found naked at a tube station, dripping with blood. On arriving at Broadmoor, Gonzalez immediately attempted to kill himself by biting himself to death. ‘I have never seen anyone bite himself with that ferocity,’ said the inspecting doctor. He survived but committed suicide in 2007 by slicing his wrists with the edges of a CD case.

Prison Attacks On 23 February 1996, convicted robber Paul Wilson entered Peter Sutcliffe’s private room to borrow a video cassette then attempted to strangle him with a pair of headphones. On hearing Sutcliffe’s screams, fellow murderers Jamie Devitt and Kenneth Erskine ran in and fought Wilson off. Thirteen months later, Sutcliffe was attacked again, this time by Ian Kay, who blinded him in one eye by jabbing a ballpoint pen in his eye socket. 

Strange But True Every Monday at 10am, a deafening World War II air-raid siren sounds out over Berkshire, as Broadmoor tests its escape alarm. There’s a network of 13 sirens spread out over Berkshire – and separate ones located in schools. If the alarm is sounded at any other time than this, all children are locked inside their schools until their parents come to collect them.

FULL SUTTON HM PRISON

This maximum security prison in East Riding, Yorkshire opened in 1987 to house category A offenders (those who are highly dangerous to the public or national security) and category B offenders (less dangerous but still need to be prevented from escape). It has a capacity of 608, and currently holds infamous serial killer Dennis Nilsen, child murderer Howard Hughes and al Quaida terrorist Abu Quatada.

Breakouts Full Sutton’s ‘jail within a jail’ system has been foolproof so far, though 32 of its inmates did run riot in 1998, barricading themselves into one of the prison wings and attacking members of the staff – an act that escaped punishment due to a human rights law.

Craziest Inmate One-legged prostitute killer Michael Sams was moved to Full Sutton after serving time at Durham and Wakefield. In 1997, he held a female probation officer hostage in his cell and tried to throttle her with a key chain, adding an extra 8 extra years to his sentence. On moving jails, the prison service lost his artificial leg – a mistake that earned him a cool £4,000 in damages,

Prison Attacks Farmhouse killer Jeremy Bamber was imprisoned in 1986 for shooting his adoptive parents, sister and twin nephews with a rifle. Eighteen years later he was making a telephone call when an inmate attacked him from behind and slashed his neck open with a knife. The knife came within a quarter-inch of his carotid artery and although he needed 26 stitches, he somehow survived.

Strange But True Businessman Francesco Vitetta has opened a restaurant inside Full Sutton open to the public. Inmates prepare and cook the dishes and a convicted murderer called Bruno plays the piano.

HMP WHITEMOOR

Built in 1992 on an old railway marshalling yard, Whitemoor prison houses over 500 of the UK’s most dangerous criminals, including Gay Slayer Colin Ireland, Road Rage killer Kenneth Noye, shoebomber Richard Reid, and the murderer of PC Ian Broadhurst, David Bieber.

Breakouts In March 1993, IRA member Paul Magee was imprisoned in Whitemoor for the murder of Special Constable Glenn Goodman. A year later, he escaped. Armed with guns smuggled into the prison, Magee and five inmates scaled the prison walls using knotted sheets, shooting and wounding a guard in the process. The gang were chased across fields by guards before eventually being captured.

Craziest inmate It is not one inmate in particular terrorising wardens at Whitemoor at present, but the sharp rise of Muslim extremist gangs. A third of prisoners are Muslim, and Al-Qaeda are allegedly trying to recruit these inmates for their ‘holy war’ against Britain – a recent case being murderer and former BNP activist Stephen Jones, who has had to be segregated after trying to radicalise young prisoners.

Prison Attacks In June 1995, an international inmate threw a pan of boiling chip pan oil over a prison guard’s head. The offender had swiped the pan from the prison kitchen then hurled it over the guard from a landing in C wing, causing him to suffer 20% burns.

Strange But True The prison was locked down for a day after an ‘explosion’ in August 2005, which turned out to be a tiny firework. Prisons Handbook editor Mark Leech said, ‘This was a small fire cracker-like device. It wasn't designed to injure anyone or cause damage, but to cause embarrassment to the Prison Service, which appears to have worked!’ An al-Qaida fanatic was held in segregation following the blast.

RAMPTON SECURE HOSPITAL

A high security psychiatric hospital in Nottinghamshire, Rampton’s list of inmates reads like a who’s who of British scum, including Ian Huntley and ‘Angel of Death’ child killer, Beverly Allitt. The facility has been criticised for being too lax, the father of one of Allitt’s victims saying: ‘It’s like being at Butlins.’

Breakouts Notorious underworld enforcer Frank Mitchell escaped Rampton in 1957 only to instantly re-offend, breaking into a house and attacking the owner with an iron bar. Despite being recaptured, Mitchell was soon up to his old tricks. He did a bunk from Broadmoor in 1958, broke into another house and attacked another couple, this time with an axe, earning him his nickname, ‘The Mad Axeman’.

Craziest Inmate Having already demonstrated a vicious streak by killing a girl with a hammer, Peter Bryan really outdid himself after being released from Rampton. Bryan murdered his friend Paul Cherry in his flat before tucking into the victim’s brain. When asked to explain himself, Bryan said, ‘I ate his brain with butter. It was really nice’.

Prison Attacks Inmate Scott Rowe kicked off quite spectacularly back in February 2006, biting down on a nurse’s finger and refusing to let go. It took a further two nurses to prize his jaws open, the victim describing the pain as ‘excruciating’. Incredibly, Rowe was fined a mere £400.

Strange But True Rampton’s facilities have been accused of being a bit on the generous side, leading to the aforementioned ‘Butlins’ accusations. In 2000, convicted arsonist Richard Fielding was reported to have signed up for bingo, table tennis and even canoeing lessons.

WAKEFIELD PRISON

Known as ‘Monster Mansion’, this West Yorkshire jail has become Britain’s most fearsome jail. Built in 1594 as a House of Correction, it now holds 700 of the country’s most violent and depraved inmates, including Robert ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ Maudsley, Manchester murderer Trevor Hardy and Kairo ‘Bg Foot’ Beckford.

Breakouts After the successful escape of 1764, £2770 was spent on improving Wakefield security, and no breakouts have been recorded since. In 2005, Babes in The Wood beast Russell Bishop was planning an escape, but guards were tipped off and raided his room to find knotted sheets and detailed pencil drawings. He is now regarded as Wakefield’s biggest escape threat.

Craziest Inmate Britain’s ‘most dangerous prisoner’, Charles Bronson has recently moved to Wakefield. The 55-year-old has spent 34 years in jail – 30 of them in solitary confinement. During this time, he has taken 11 hostages, fought with 20 prison guards and attacked countless inmates. In 2000, he took a teacher hostage and led him around Hull jail on a rope.

Prison Attacks Convicted rapists and paedophiles are targeted regularly by other inmates. In 2002, Sarah Payne’s killer Roy Whiting was stabbed in the face with a homemade knife, and two years later, then-resident Ian Huntley was punched in the face and later attacked with a mug.

Strange But True The nursery rhyme ‘Here we go round the mulberry bush’ originates from Wakefield Prison. Female Inmates used to chant it to their children as they walked around the bush in the prison grounds – and the bush is still there today.

BELMARSH

Often used to detain those charged with terrorist-related offences, this high-security London prison has been called the ‘British version of Guantanamo Bay’. Built in 1991, it holds 910 prisoners and has an underground tunnel that links to Woolwich Crown Court. The former home of novelist Jeffery Archer and Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs, it currently holds Brixton Bomber, David Copeland and Sally Anne Bowman killer, Mark Dixie.

Breakouts There have been no successful breakouts so far, but Belmarsh security hasn’t always been exactly watertight. In June 2003, the Prison service had to cough up £40,000 on hundreds of replacement locks, after an officer forgot to return his keys at the end of the day – a policy that if broken results in this immediate measure.

Craziest Inmate Anthony Hardy, known as the ‘Camden Ripper’, was imprisoned for murdering three prostitutes in 2002. A divorced alcoholic, Hardy cut up the bodies with a hacksaw, their remains turning up in bin liners on his estate. Gruesomely, their hands and heads were never recovered, despite extensive police searches.

Prison Attacks In 2007, members of the Muslim Boys gang attacked four prison officers with pool cues when one of them tried to take away a prisoner’s laptop. One officer was beaten so badly he was left with a broken cheekbone and deep cuts to his shoulder. In 2005, former So Solid Crew member Dwayne Vincent was slashed across the neck with a knife made from razorblades.

Strange But True Charlton Athletic have an agreement in place with the prison: the club works in tandem with the gymnasium staff to offer prisoners FA accredited coaching courses, allowing them to become coaches after their release.