A convicted murderer already serving a life sentence for a fatal shooting has been handed an additional 12 years in prison for a vicious, premeditated attack on a prison officer, which a judge said saw him act like a "rabid dog".
From Murder to a Prison Assault
Christopher Stubbs, now 30, is currently serving a life term for the murder of Lee Pettite in March 2016. The court heard that Stubbs, then 20, shot Mr Pettite in the back as he fled from him and two other men in the Bankfields area of Eston.
Stubbs, originally from South Bank, later pleaded guilty to murder and was ordered to serve a minimum of 24 years behind bars.
However, almost nine years after that sentencing, his time in custody took a more violent turn. In July 2024, while an inmate at Garth Prison in Ulnes Walton, Lancashire, Stubbs launched a brutal assault moments after the morning cell unlock.
The 'Shocking and Abhorrent' Hook Shank Attack
The court was told that Stubbs, in an agitated state, burst from his cell and moved along the wing. He then produced a self-made 'hook shank' weapon from his waistband and attacked a prison officer in his 50s.
The officer was struck several times with the weapon, suffering three deep puncture wounds to his torso and abdomen. He was also beaten about the head during the sustained assault.
It took multiple officers to restrain Stubbs, who continued to lash out and bit another officer during the struggle. The judge later described his behaviour as akin to that of a "rabid dog".
Consecutive Sentence for a 'Violent and Dangerous' Individual
Following a three-day trial at Preston Crown Court, Stubbs was found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, assaulting an emergency worker, and possessing a sharply pointed article in prison.
On Thursday, December 21, 2025, he was sentenced to an additional 12 years' imprisonment. Stubbs refused to leave the court cells to hear his sentence, so the judge passed it in his absence.
Critically, this new term was ordered to run consecutively to his existing 24-year tariff, meaning it will begin only after he has served the minimum term for the murder.
Detective Constable Paul Brown of Skelmersdale CID condemned the attack. "This was a shocking and abhorrent attack on a prison officer by a serving inmate using a vicious self-made weapon," he said. "Stubbs is a violent and dangerous individual. The length of the sentence imposed shows the seriousness of the case."
The judge acknowledged the daily dangers faced by prison staff and the bravery they show in dealing with violent prisoners like Christopher Stubbs.
