A former prisoner who served time at HMP Frankland, also known as Monster Mansion, has detailed the harsh conditions Vickrum Digwa can expect after refusing to move to a specific wing over safety fears. Digwa, who is serving a life sentence for the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in Southampton last year, has reportedly been placed in segregation at the high-security prison in County Durham.
Refusal Leads to Solitary Confinement
Ricky Killeen, a former inmate of HMP Frankland, explained on his Behind Bars TV channel that Digwa's refusal to move to A-wing constitutes a disciplinary action. "Because he's refusing to go on the wings, that is a disciplinary action inside the system. A refusal is going against the system. So you put down solitary confinement, and you're lucky if you get 30 minutes exercise per day," Killeen said.
Killeen noted that inmates in segregation lose access to luxuries, the canteen, and receive fewer phone calls. He claimed Digwa would not have a TV and would have only £2.50 per week to spend on phone credit.
Fear of HMP Frankland's Reputation
Digwa reportedly refused to move to A-wing after hearing rumours about the jail, which houses notorious inmates including serial killer Levi Bellfield, Lee Rigby murderer Michael Adebolajo, Sarah Everard killer Wayne Couzens, and necrophile David Fuller. The wing was also where Soham murderer Ian Huntley was fatally attacked earlier this year. "He's probably refused because he's scared. And also because he'll have heard rumours about HMP Frankland," Killeen said.
Killeen added that inmates from the south of England often fear being sent to the north. "They hear horror stories about HMP Frankland because it's up in the north. And they think, 'I don't want to be there.' He'll not want to be all the way up there. He's at the furthest prison away from his family. He'll be terrified. Well, he is. He's terrified," he said.
Harassment from Other Inmates
Killeen also described the harassment Digwa could face from other prisoners in the segregation block. He said inmates "grief out the windows" at those they consider wrongdoers, a practice that occurs "all day long." He explained: "People are getting tortured because, as you can imagine, the other lads who are down there from normal location wings, they're down there facing punishment themselves. They've got no TV. They've got no luxuries. So what have they got to fill their times in? Griefing bacons and wrong'uns out of the windows all day long."
Killeen noted that this is how these inmates get their "jollies," with many sleeping through the day and spending the night "tapping, banging, booting the doors, shouting and screaming out the windows."
