Triple killer Axel Rudakubana will face extreme security measures similar to fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter after allegedly throwing boiling water over a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh.
The 18-year-old, who murdered three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July, will now be subject to stringent restrictions following Thursday's attack.
The prison officer was taken to hospital but discharged the same evening and is expected to return to work next week.
The convicted murderer will be fed through a hatch in his cell door, similar to the fictional serial killer portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.
Axel Rudakubana will be held like serial killer Hannibal Lecter
Getty/PA
A source told The Sun: "They will treat Rudakubana much more severely. It will not be far off Hannibal Lecter because they will take no chances."
"Rudakubana will only be able to open the latch on his side once the officers have shut the box and closed it on their side," the source added. He will be allowed out of his cell only briefly to shower or exercise.
The 18-year-old was jailed in January for a minimum of 52 years for the murders of three girls and the attempted murders of eight other children, a class instructor and a businessman.
He killed Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, during a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed workshop in Southport on July 29 last year.
Ten others were injured in the horrifying incident, including class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
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Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King were murdered by Rudakubana
PA
Police on Hart Street Southport, Merseyside, following the attackPAAccording to reports, Rudakubana's prison supervision had been downgraded shortly before the attack.
The Sun reported that he was previously held in a healthcare unit where he was monitored round the clock.
When the attack occurred, he was able to boil water in a kettle in his cell before throwing it at the guard.
He could be moved from Belmarsh as early as today, with potential transfers to a prison in the North or to HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire.
The attack came just weeks after Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi assaulted prison officers at HMP Frankland.
The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons across England and Wales has reached a 10-year high, with more than 10,000 attacks recorded in 2024.
Hashem Abedi threw hot cooking oil over guards, then produced homemade weapons and proceeded to stab them in AprilGREATER MANCHESTER POLICEFormer prison officer Claire Lewis, who herself survived an attack, told GB News there needs to be more protective equipment for workers, adding: "Someone will end up being murdered if things aren't put into place."
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper acknowledged the severity of the situation, telling LBC Radio the attack was a "total disgrace...Prison officers do a very difficult job and they deserve to be kept safe and have our support," she said.
Cooper added: "There is a crisis in our prisons that was created by the Conservative government."
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick called for the Government to "get a grip" before a staff member is killed.
The Ministry of Justice responded: "We take attacks on staff incredibly seriously."
