A murder inquiry has been launched after an inmate died following an assault at HMP Belmarsh, a high-security prison in southeast London. Officers were called to reports of an attack at 8pm on Tuesday and found a 36-year-old man with serious head injuries. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition but died the following evening.
The Metropolitan Police said the attack is not believed to be terrorist-related. Two inmates, both aged 28, have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remain in custody. Detective Chief Inspector Richard Leonard said: “We are working to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident with the support of Serco and local officers. At this stage I am open minded concerning motive, but expect this to become clear as the investigation progresses.”
The victim’s family have been informed, and a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course, police said. A Prison Service spokesman expressed condolences, stating: “A prisoner at HMP Belmarsh died in hospital on February 19 and our sympathies are with his family and friends. It would be inappropriate to comment further.”
Belmarsh is one of only three high-security “core” local prisons in England and Wales and has housed several high-profile prisoners, including Julian Assange, who is on remand awaiting extradition, and Tommy Robinson, who was jailed for contempt of court last year. Other notable inmates have included Michael Adebolajo, convicted over the murder of soldier Lee Rigby; Finsbury Park attacker Darren Osborne; and radical preacher Anjem Choudary.
An inspection report in 2018 found that levels of violence at Belmarsh had increased since the previous assessment three years earlier. The prison opened in 1991 and had an operational capacity of 910 prisoners as of 2008, according to the Ministry of Justice.
