Brett Lowe death: Prisoner jailed for 'brutal' cellmate murder

Brett Lowe's family said they were "devastated" by his death

A man who murdered his cellmate in a "sustained and brutal attack" has been jailed for life.

Brett Lowe died on 18 July 2018, one day after the 43-year-old was moved to HMP Nottingham while on remand on suspicion of burglary and robbery.

Nottingham Crown Court heard Ferencz-Rudolf Pusok had tried to strangle Mr Lowe with shoelaces during the night.

The 30-year-old, previously of no fixed address, must serve a minimum term of 20 years.

The court heard Mr Lowe reported Pusok had tried to "throttle" him as he slept, but neither inmate was moved and both were told to "calm down" by a senior prison officer.

Mr Lowe died at HMP Nottingham on 18 July 2018

Pusok was serving a 10-week sentence for offences including criminal damage and threatening behaviour at the time of the attack, the court was told.

On 16 July, his then-cellmate had reported him acting unusually, and a request to move was granted.

Mr Lowe was put into the defendant's cell, which was on the prison's induction wing, and at about 03:30 BST on 18 July he rang a bell to alert prison staff of the initial attack.

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He mentioned the incident to other prison officers, and he was set to be moved to a different cell, but at about 09:30 he was locked back in his cell with Pusok.

At 10:15 a drug support worker came to see Mr Lowe, and saw him lying in a pool of blood.

James House QC, prosecuting the case, told the court Pusok attacked his cellmate with a sharp implement made from plastic cutlery, and also strangled him with his hands and a ligature made from shoelaces.

Ferencz-Rudolf Pusok was serving a 10-week sentence at the time of the attack

Despite attempts to give CPR by prison officers and medical staff, Mr Lowe was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at hospital.

The court heard he had "extensive" injuries including a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain, a broken jaw, cuts to his arms, a broken bone in his neck and marks from a ligature.

A cause of death was given as strangulation.

Pusok initially told police Mr Lowe had killed himself, but admitted murder ahead of a trial that was due to start last month.

Reading from a victim impact statement by Mr Lowe's sister Lisa Bennett, Mr House said the length of time the murder has taken to go through the criminal justice process worsened the impact of his death.

"I feel my life has been on hold for the past two years waiting for answers... while it seems the man responsible has been playing games," the statement said.

Ms Bennett also said her brother "would still be here" had he received proper support in prison.

'Terrible and pointless'

Defending Pusok, Peter Joyce QC said the level of violence was bad enough to "indicate a loss of control", adding it could have been "triggered" by a "misunderstanding" between cellmates "who could not talk in the same tongue".

He also pointed to the prison's decision not to separate the pair after the overnight incident.

"I'm not seeking to blame the prison for the fact that Mr Pusok did what he did," he said.

"But I am saying it wasn't a distinguished performance."

Sentencing Pusok, Judge Gregory Dickinson QC said he found "no evidence" of any provocation by Mr Lowe, who had "nowhere to run [and] nowhere to hide" from the assault.

He added the "sustained and brutal attack" has left the deceased's family with a loss "that can never be put right".

"The death of Brett Lowe was both terrible and pointless, and that will haunt them for the rest of their lives," he said.

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