Two prisoners who locked themselves in cell and attacked inmate are jailed

Hassan Khan and Tashif Talib, both 25 and, hit their victim with food cans during the attack at HMP Featherstone, before Khan stabbed him in the eye.

Khan, originally of Whitehall Road, Birmingham, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent while Talib, of Drews Lane, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm at Stafford Crown Court on Friday, August 12.

The court heard how on January 20, 2019 Khan and Talib assaulted the victim in his cell which they had locked, hitting him twice with tinned food cans. Khan then used a hair clipper blade to stab the other inmate twice in the eye.

During the attack, the victim managed to press his cell bell and prison officers immediately attended the scene, where Khan and Talib were detained.

The victim was taken to hospital for emergency surgery - he suffered permanent vision loss in one eye, amongst other injuries.

In interview, Khan claimed that the three men had been friends and said that the assault was a result of an argument which had got out of hand.

Khan was handed a 10-year prison term for the attack while Talib will be jailed for five years and three months.

Speaking following sentencing, Prison Crime Investigator Aimi Hanlon, said: “This was a violent and sustained attack.

“The victim will have to live the rest of his life coping with the injuries Talib and Khan inflicted.

“I’m glad the judge saw fit to hand them lengthy custodial sentences.”

HMP Featherstone governor, Laura Whitehurst, said: “Violence is never tolerated in our prison and we will always work closely with police to pursue the strongest possible punishment for perpetrators.

“Assaults have almost halved at Featherstone since 2019, with new body scanners helping to stop the flow of drugs that fuel violence and more work and training opportunities to steer offenders away from a return to crime.”