‘Dangerous’ inmate locked up indefinitely for attempting to kill prison officers

One of Britain’s most dangerous inmates who carried out a string of attacks on prison officers with homemade plastic weapons has been locked up indefinitely under the Mental Health Act.

Aklakar Rahman, 38, repeatedly attacked staff at HMS Swaleside in Kent and high-security Belmarsh jail, south-east London, in September and October 2022, the Old Bailey heard.

He was already serving a life sentence for earlier prison attacks after being jailed for Class A drugs offences in 2015.

On Friday, Mrs Justice McGowan handed him a hospital order without limit of time, telling Rahman that psychiatrists say “you are mentally unwell and need to be treated”.

The court heard that Rahman, who has schizophrenia, has been directed by voices that were not real in the past. His condition is currently stable and he is taking his medication.

(Rahman) is an extremely dangerous offender who has demonstrated a willingness to use unlawful drugs, notwithstanding his clear knowledge that such abuse makes him likely to assault prison officers in particular and other persons

The judge said: “(Rahman) is an extremely dangerous offender who has demonstrated a willingness to use unlawful drugs, notwithstanding his clear knowledge that such abuse makes him likely to assault prison officers in particular and other persons.”

In January, a jury found him guilty of four counts of attempted murder.

He also admitted a charge of attempted wounding, six attempted assaults on emergency workers and three charges of possessing sharpened pieces of plastic in prison.

His attacks were “planned” and he found a piece of plastic, which he spent “considerable time” sharpening into a weapon to “inflict serious injury”.

He aimed at the head, face and neck, intending to leave injury and attacked a female officer in the belief that she would be the weakest, the court heard.

The judge said that amid difficult prison conditions, officers “are entitled to work without fear of this systematic assault”.

She added that she was convinced that Rahman’s offending was “trying to advance a religious cause”, noting he had spoken of “being a slave to Allah and hatred of non-believers”.

At the time of the offences, the defendant was serving a life sentence for three earlier attempted murders and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, jurors heard.

In the summer of 2017, he attacked one inmate and two officers at HMP Wayland, HMP Lincoln and HMP Wakefield, using improvised weapons to stab at his victims’ heads and necks.

Rahman had originally been jailed two years previously, in November 2015, and ordered to serve six years and four months for drug offences.

He had pleaded guilty at Ipswich Crown Court to two charges of possessing class A drugs heroin and cocaine with intent to supply and one charge of being concerned in the supply of heroin.

At his latest trial earlier this year, prosecutor Alistair Richardson described Rahman as a “highly dangerous man”.

He had repeatedly expressed a desire to kill prison officers, whom he regarded as “kuffar”, a derogatory term for non-Muslims.

On September 23 2022, he had been detained in the high-security segregation unit at HMP Swaleside over concerns he was trying to radicalise other inmates to “extreme versions of Islam,” the court was told.

While being escorted to a shower, he punched one officer and stabbed another in the forehead with a pen, the court heard.

He went on to punch a third officer in the stomach and stamp on the foot of a fourth after they went to help their colleagues.

During an attempt to retrieve a homemade weapon, the defendant tried to stab an officer in the neck, jurors had heard.

After he was moved to high-security Belmarsh prison, he tried to kill three prison officers on October 23 2022, the court was told.

He stabbed one of them in the head and neck and cut two more officers’ necks amid attempts to restrain him.

On being ordered to open his hand, the defendant was seen with the bottom of a plastic spoon that had been sharpened, the court heard.