A prisoner who murdered his cellmate, Liam Deane, with a broken bottle of aftershave has been given a life sentence. John Westland, 29, was convicted of killing Deane at HMP Leeds in the early hours of 12 November.
Deane, 22, from Wakefield, was himself serving a life sentence for the murder of his two-day-old daughter, a crime that earned him the label of 'baby killer' within the prison. Westland, who was serving time for rape and grievous bodily harm, claimed he believed Deane was a sex offender.
Sentencing Westland to a minimum of 19 years, Judge Rodney Jameson QC condemned the hypocrisy of the attack. He noted that Deane, while guilty of a serious crime, had admitted it from the outset and was trying to come to terms with his actions.
The court heard that Deane showed signs of asphyxiation alongside injuries from the broken bottle. Prison guards found him covered in blood at around 05:30 GMT. Shards of glass with Westland's fingerprints were discovered near the bunk bed.
Westland, originally from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, was jailed in 2008 for raping and assaulting a woman in her 50s, fracturing her jaw. He had a history of attacking older women. West Yorkshire Police stated that while Deane's crime was appalling, he was entitled to serve his sentence in safety.
