Robber on remand who threw bottle of urine at prison officer in HMP Belmarsh jailed

Try amazon music above for free 3 month trial worth every penny !


Michael Raheem had been on remand for robbery at the time of the attack

A convicted robber threw urine over a prison officer in HMP Belmarsh while waiting to be sentenced.

Michael Raheem, who was on remand, approached a female officer in October 2018 whole holding a shower gel bottle filled with yellow liquid, later identified as urine.

Raheem, 22, threw the urine over the officer before he was detained.

Detectives launched an investigation and took advantage of an unusual law to prosecute the case - believed to be the first of its kind in London.

Knowing the only other charge option for Raheem would be common assault - carrying a maximum sentence of six months – the officer in the case, DC Natalie Ford, believed that he should face prosecution under Section 24 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; which calls for proof that a noxious substance has been used with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy.

Raheem, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to administering poison with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy via Skype at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, April 17. He also pleaded guilty to robbery.

Raheem was sentenced to six years for the robbery, and 20 months for throwing the urine, to run consecutively.

Detective Chief Inspector John Massey, from the South East Command Unit, said: "This conviction shows a real persistence and flair for innovation on the part of the officers involved; demonstrating the extra mile the Met will go to ensure the safety of, and justice for, front line staff."

Try Kindle books below best crime reads .

First inmate at Scottish prison dies from Covid-19

An inmate from Saughton jail in Edinburgh has become the first prisoner in Scotland to die from Covid-19.

John Angus, 66, died in hospital after being admitted to the Royal Infirmary on Tuesday, it was confirmed today.

He was an inmate from Hermiston block at HMP Edinburgh, on the western edge of the Capital, and is thought to have suffered from underlying health conditions.

Mr Angus was placed on a lifelong restriction order after being convicted of the indecent assault on a 21-year-old woman in 2010, and breaching a ban which prohibited him from travelling without notifying the police.

He had previously been given an 11-year jail term for tying up and gagging a primary school teacher in Easter Ross and abducting a school cleaner at the same school at knifepoint in 1994.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said it did not commnt on individual prisoners, but said that 36 inmates across eight jails were currently self-isolating after either showing signs of Covid-19 or sharing a cell with someone that had.

Human rights groups have previously called for justice secretary Humza Yousaf to release inmates from Scottish prisons to reduce the risk of coronavirus quickly spreading.

A letter sent last week to the Holyrood minister warned the impossibility of social distancing in prisons put both staff and inmates at increased risk of infection.

Mr Yousaf previously told MSPs there were “robust” plans in place across the prison system to deal with the pandemic, with any prisoner who displays symptoms told to self-isolate.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Our priority and that of the Scottish Prison Service will always be the health and wellbeing of every person living and working in Scotland’s prisons, including inmates and the prison officers and healthcare workers who care for them

“Clearly the loss of any life in prison custody is regrettable and our thoughts are with those affected by this death.

“As with any death of a prisoner, the matter has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal and a Fatal Accident Inquiry will be held in due course.”

Coronavirus: HMP Winchester families fear 'death sentences'

Prisoners in HMP Winchester fear they have been given a "death sentence" due to coronavirus, an inmate's partner has said.

She said the prisoners were being kept in kept in their cells for 23 hours a day and were concerned about infection being brought in.

The BBC has been told there has been one case of Covid-19 in the jail.

The Prison Service said it had enacted "robust and flexible plans" for jails.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she and the families of other prisoners she had spoken to were "terrified".

"[The prisoners'] key concern is that they're on a death sentence - they know once it's in a prison it will be rife.

"It will go everywhere because there is not enough room to self-isolate even though they're sat in their cells. Officers still come and go from those cells, work parties still go in communal areas, they still have to go for their meals.

"They could die in there. I'm not exaggerating. They could die if they got that virus," she said.

Early release

She also said the quality of food had deteriorated because of staff shortages.

It is believed the inmate with Covid-19 caught the virus outside the Category B prison, was subsequently arrested and sent to jail on remand.

The government announced earlier this week that up to 4,000 prisoners in England and Wales are to be released in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We have robust and flexible plans in place to protect prison staff, the public and prisoners, based on the latest advice from Public Health England.

"Personal protective equipment is being provided to officers and all prisons have the soap and cleaning materials they need."

The Ministry of Justice said, as of Tuesday, 129 prisoners had tested positive for Covid-19 across 47 prisons.

Ten inmates with coronavirus have died, the ministry said.

Twenty-four prison staff have also tested positive, as have five escort and custody staff.

Two staff members at Pentonville Prison in north London died after showing symptoms of coronavirus.