A prison officer at one of Britain’s most notorious jails has revealed how inmates settled scores inside – but only on a specific day.
Neil Samworth worked at HMP Strangeways in Manchester for more than a decade where he was ‘surrounded’ by murderers on a daily basis.
Mr Samworth said working in a prison is like ‘stepping into another world’ where inmates have their own code when it comes to dishing out justice.
Earlier this week it was revealed that child killer Roy Whiting had been attacked by a cellmate at maximum security HMP Wakefield.
Mr Samworth, who has since retired, said most revenge attacks he dealt with were a result of petty disagreements on debts.
He told : ‘When you go into a major British prison you are stepping into another world.
Neil Samworth said working in a prison was like ‘stepping into another world’ (stock image)
Neil Samworth worked at HMP Strangeways (pictured) in Manchester for more than a decade where he was ‘surrounded’ by murderers on a daily basis
‘Someone asked me about murderers and I had to explain that as a prison officer you are surrounded by them.’
He added: At Strangeways we used to call Fridays “black eye Fridays” because that was the day debts were called in.
‘People who owed had to go the canteen and deliver a tray of goodies to the person they owed.
‘And if you did not pay up you got a black eye.’
He continued: ‘So if a prisoner builds up a cannabis debt and they can’t pay, they might be forced to carry out violence.
‘They might be asked to throw hot water and sugar over someone, or even slash them with a home made knife (shank).
‘Unfortunately if an offender builds up a drug debt and then are shipped out, the debt can be passed on to their cell mate. I have seen that happen.’
He also explained that prison officers sometimes used established criminals to help keep the peace on the wing.
‘There is always a head on a wing. For example at Strangeways we had people like Paul Massey and Paul Doyle from Salford.
‘You could ask them to have a word with people who were causing issues. You would just ask them to have a quiet word, and use their clout to settle things down.’
Now Mr Samworth has claimed that the attack on Roy Whiting, was likely caused by petty prison disagreement, not because of his previous convictions.
The paedophile murderer of eight-year-old schoolgirl Sarah Payne who he snatched off the street in July 2000, was stabbed by another prisoner, at the ‘Monster Mansion’ jail.
Whiting, 65, was said to have been left covered in blood after the stabbing – but only suffered minor injuries.
It was just the latest attack on the inmate who has been repeatedly targeted by other prisoners over the years.
Mr Samworth said: ‘Whiting has already done a lot of jail and everyone knows what he is in for.
‘The attack could be linked to a petty fall-out in Wakefield. So called prison beefs are rife, and can suddenly blow-up for no apparent reason.’
Mr Samworth also said that while Whiting’s crimes were shocking, in Wakefield he would be seen as just another convict.
He said: ‘To the man in the street Whiting is a monster but there are far worse than him in Wakefield.
‘Some of the worst offenders are people you have never heard of. In Wakefield Whiting will be no big thing.’
As part of the next steps he added that Whiting and the other offender will likely now be separated.
‘Whiting will probably be moved to another wing in the prison. And the attacker will be down the block.
‘But its not a given that Whiting will be shipped out to another prison. Wakefield is probably the best place for him.’
He said that most established criminals with reputations wanted to do ‘easy jail’.
Mr Samworth said he was ‘surrounded’ by murderers during his more than 10-year career as a prison officer (stock image)
Rot Whiting was attacked a cellmate at HMP Wakefield over the weekend
Whiting is being held at HMP Wakefield (pictured) which houses some of the UK’s most notorious prisoners
He said: ‘The big gangsters just end up with cleaning jobs. They just do their job, go the gym and keep their heads down.
‘I have seen all these types mopping the floors and you would never know who they were. They want to do easy jail.’
Mr Samworth said that prisons like Wakefield had their own sub-culture and were challenging places to work.
He said: ‘I did not work there but I still have contacts across the prison system and hear stories all the time.
‘In Wakefield there is no segregation so most wings are full of sex offenders, rapists and child killers.
‘They are all in together. An offender from a gang or drug background would ask to be shipped out straight away.
‘The issue would be the longer you stay there, others might think you were a sex offender by association.’