Prisoners accused of Belmarsh officer attack decline to give evidence

A handout CCTV image from footage played to the jury shows the prisoners before the alleged attack, Woolwich Crown Court heard

Three prisoners accused of attacking a Belmarsh officer have chosen not to give evidence in their trial.

Paul Edwards, 57, said he feared for his life when he was allegedly hit with a chair and repeatedly punched and kicked in his office on 11 May, 2020.

Hashem Abedi, 24, Ahmed Hassan, 22, and Muhammed Saeed, 23 all deny assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH).

Woolwich Crown Court heard the custodian manager had removed privileges from Mr Abedi and Mr Hassan.

Mr Edwards, who had worked in Belmarsh for 25 years, punished the pair after they had shaved their heads, the court heard.

He told the court Mr Abedi was the "amir" or "leader", who had orchestrated complaints about the regime inside the high security unit.

CCTV footage played to the jury shows Mr Abedi and Mr Hassan, with a black and white hat and dark clothing, being escorted to the prison exercise yard.

Footage was shown to the court in which the pair could be seen returning about half an hour later with Mr Saeed, who had long hair tied in a ponytail.

'Not giving evidence'

Mr Abedi, wearing a blue Adidas tracksuit, white cap and glasses, could be seen smiling in the footage before the three defendants ran towards Mr Edwards' office, closely followed by prison officers.

All three defendants are charged with assault causing actual bodily harm to Mr Edwards.

Mr Abedi, who is defending himself, is also charged with assault by beating of an emergency worker - a second prison officer Nick Barnett - who was allegedly kicked.

They all deny the charges but declined to give evidence after the prosecution closed its case on Thursday.

The judge, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, asked Mr Abedi: "Would you like to give evidence in this case in your own defence?"

"No," he replied.

Benjamin Squirrell, representing Mr Hassan, and Sebastian Winnett, representing Mr Saeed, also said their clients would not be giving evidence.

The trial continues on Monday.

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