Two prisoners who repeatedly stabbed a fellow inmate at HMP & YOI Deerbolt have received further prison terms at Durham Crown Court. One of the wounds punctured the victim’s lung.
The men, aged 20 and 21, were already serving life sentences. Each admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm. One received an extra four years and the other three years and seven months. A third prisoner, also aged 21, received four months for his part in the attack.
The attack took place at about 2.45pm on 25 April 2025 in a hallway on F-Wing. The victim was talking to other prisoners when the two main attackers charged at him. Each carried a makeshift weapon. They stabbed him again and again in the head, chest, back and neck. CCTV captured the whole incident. As the victim ran away, the third man punched him.
The two attackers then threw their weapons into a bin. According to the prosecution, one of them returned moments later and took the bag of rubbish. He clearly intended to put distance between himself, his co-defendant and the blades, the prosecution said.
The victim went to hospital with 10 knife wounds. One of them had punctured his left lung. He has since recovered fully, the court heard, but did not help the prosecution.
Judge Joanne Kidd said one of the attackers “had no fear” even though he knew CCTV covered the hallway. In her view, he considered himself “above the law” and above the prison authorities. She said he had made that boast to probation officers. He had described himself as a leader among men, with authority and kudos from his gang involvement.
The judge said the stabbing carried a “real risk” of causing death or serious injury. Assessments found that both men posed a significant risk of harm to others. All three men will serve their new sentences consecutively to their existing prison terms.
HMP & YOI Deerbolt is a category C prison for men in the North East. At its last full inspection, in March 2025, it received not sufficiently good grades for safety and respect. Its grade for purposeful activity was poor, and for preparation for release reasonably good.
