Overview

• Axel Rudakubana attacked a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh on May 8, 2025, pouring boiling water over him using a kettle from his cell.
• The attack follows a similar incident weeks earlier at HMP Frankland, where Hashem Abedi assaulted four guards with hot oil and homemade weapons.
• Prison Officers Association Chair Mark Fairhurst has called for supermax-style confinement and removal of items like kettles for ideologically driven offenders.
• Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has criticized government delays in implementing protective measures, urging immediate action to safeguard prison staff.
• The UK Government has initiated snap reviews into the Belmarsh and Frankland incidents, with updates expected in the coming days, but no policy changes have yet been enacted.