Dorset prison violence concern after inmate's throat cut

The report said assaults at the jail were fuelled by suspected gang activity, debts and staff absenteeism

Inspectors have "real concerns" about violence at a prison where an inmate nearly died when his throat was cut.

The man only survived due to the quick intervention of staff at HMP Guys Marsh in Dorset, the jail's Independent Monitoring Board said.

In its annual report, it also said an inmate died after reportedly drinking "toxic hooch", brewed from substances such as hand gel or cleaning fluid.

The Prison Service said it had invested £100m in security in the prison estate.

A block that was damaged in an arson attack in 2017 has finally been demolished

The board recorded 75 assaults on staff and 205 by prisoners on fellow inmates in the year to the end of November 2022.

It said some of the violence was driven by debt involving smuggled goods.

"Organised crime groups bombarded the establishment with throw-overs and drone deliveries of drugs and mobile phones," the report said.

Staffing issues undermined safety and did not allow for regular one-to-one contact with prisoners, it added.

'Hooch death'

One officer told inspectors there was a haemorrhaging of staff "because you can make more at Tesco with zero risk", the report added.

Inspectors said prisoners used dangerous substances including hand sanitiser and cleaning fluid to secretly brew alcohol.

"It is a matter of considerable regret that one death in custody may have been attributable to drinking a toxic hooch concoction," the board reported.

However, the board congratulated the prison on its drug rehabilitation work and 132 throw-over finds.

A block that was damaged in an arson attack in 2017 was finally demolished in February 2022 to make way for a games area, the report said.

In a statement, the Prison Service said: "Our £100m security investment including X-ray body scanners is helping us clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence behind bars and inspectors praised hard-working staff who stopped hundreds of smuggling attempts.

"We are also boosting prison officer pay to help us hire and retain the best people, while rolling out body-worn video cameras to further improve safety across all public prisons."

HMP Guys Marsh is a category C training and resettlement prison for men, including some inmates serving indeterminate sentences.