Inmate who broke prison officer's jaw sentenced

The incident happened at HMP Whitemoor, near the Fenland town of March

An inmate who broke a prison officer's jaw has been sentenced to a further year in jail.

Abdirahman Abukar was already serving a sentence for a firearms offence at HMP Whitemoor in the Cambridgehire Fens.

He punched a prison guard in the face and broke his jaw after he was asked twice to end a call on the prison phone in November 2021, police said.

The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm and actual bodily harm at Huntingdon Law Courts.

Abukar was using the prison phone at the jail, near March, when an officer asked him to end his call because it was time to return to his cell, Cambridgeshire Police said.

The inmate ignored the officer and continued his call. After being asked again, Abukar punched the officer in the face and broke his jaw.

He was wrestled to the ground by other officers and restrained, which led to another guard injuring his shoulder.

Abukar is now serving his sentence at HMP Frankland, near Durham.

Det Con Emma Purser said: “This was a violent and unprovoked attack that nobody should have to endure and it left the victims with serious injuries.

“Prison staff work hard to ensure the safety of inmates and should be able to do so without fear of being attacked.”