Victim of Prison Assault Demands Overhaul of 'Chaotic' System
A former prison officer who survived a horrific assault at a high-security jail is demanding urgent government action, warning that it is only a matter of time before a mistakenly freed prisoner commits a further serious offence. Claire Lewis was attacked 15 years ago while working at HMP Frankland in Durham, an incident that left her with severe PTSD and forced her into early retirement.
A Pattern of Dangerous Failures
The UK's penal system is under intense scrutiny following a series of high-profile blunders, primarily centred on Category B HMP Wandsworth in South West London. In recent weeks, Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour Cherif, 24, was mistakenly released on October 29 before being re-arrested. This was swiftly followed by the accidental freeing of fraudster Billy Smith, 35, last Monday, who subsequently handed himself back in.
These incidents echo the 2023 escape of Daniel Khalife, who was jailed for spying for Iran and broke out by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery lorry. He was recaptured after a three-day manhunt.
'Unacceptable' Risks to Public Safety
Claire Lewis, a 50-year-old mother-of-two from Washington, Tyne and Wear, was responsible for conducting pre-release checks on prisoners at HMP Frankland. She told the Mirror that the current failures are appalling. "They have got to get the proper systems in place before they release prisoners," she insisted. "These are dangerous people and it is unacceptable that they are being released back onto the streets."
She highlighted the terrifying potential consequences, stating, "What happens if an offender convicted of domestic violence goes back to find his former victim?" Lewis contrasted the current chaos with the rigorous procedures of the past, where paperwork was checked and signed off by staff up to governor level, and deportations involved direct handovers to Border Force.
While the Government has announced an independent investigation led by Dame Lynne Owens, which Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy promises will "leave no stone unturned," Lewis argues that solutions are needed now, not excuses. "We keep hearing the Government has inherited this problem," she said. "But it is about trying to solve the problem now."
Lewis is a known campaigner, having previously won tens of thousands of supporters in her call for prison officers to be issued protective body armour—a measure the Government finally implemented earlier this year.
