Prisoner detained for killing cellmate with TV cord

Dan Childs, 38, was strangled to death by his cellmate Michael Harkin

A prisoner has been sentenced to a hospital order after being convicted of strangling his cellmate to death with a TV aerial cord, before "tucking him up" in bedsheets.

Michael Harkin, 35, killed Dan Childs, 38, and also wounded a second prisoner with an improvised blade in the showers at HMP Bristol in June last year.

Bristol Crown Court heard how Mr Childs told another inmate: "My cellmate won't let me sleep. He tells me if I go to sleep he'll suffocate me."

Harkin will be detained indefinitely at Broadmoor Hospital.

'Something not right'

The court heard how a former cellmate, who had spent just one night sharing with Harkin, demanded to be moved saying "there was something not right" about him.

Staff subsequently decided Mr Childs, originally from Telford, should share that cell with Harkin instead.

On the evening of June 4, Harkin killed Mr Childs "by strangling him with the co-axial cord from the cell TV" the court was told.

"It appears from the pathology evidence that you may have strangled him while he was asleep as there is no physical evidence of a struggle," Mr Justice Bryan said.

"It appears you then 'tucked him up' in his sheets on the top bunk.

"When the cell was opened in the morning you walked out as if nothing had happened."

'Delusional belief'

At the time of the attacks, psychiatrists had concluded Harkin was suffering from schizophrenia and had developed delusions about religion.

"In terms of why you killed Mr Childs, it appears that Mr Childs had the misfortune to have 'child' in his name and this led you to the delusional belief that he was a paedophile, which was completely, and absolutely, untrue and had no basis in fact whatsoever," the judge continued.

The attacks took place after Harkin had been recalled to prison just 24 hours after being released for breaching his licence.

The morning after the attack, Harkin attacked his former cellmate in the showers.

"You slashed him repeatedly with the weapon, resulting in deep cuts to his left shoulder and neck, that have resulted in permanent scarring," the judge continued.

"He thought he was going to die, as well he might if others had not intervened, and he had bled out.

"His screams were heard by another prisoner who tried to fend you off with a long-handled mop."

The attacks happened at HMP Bristol

Harkin was convicted by a jury of the manslaughter of Mr Childs by diminished responsibility. They cleared him of murder on the direction of the judge.

He was also found guilty of wounding the other prisoner, and not guilty of a separate count of attempting to wound a member of prison staff who sought to intervene.