Inmate admits attacks but denies trying to kill

An inmate has admitted a string of prison attacks with homemade weapons, but continued to deny attempting to murder five prison officers.

Aklakar Rahman, 38, had repeatedly attacked staff at HMP Swaleside in Kent and high-security south London Belmarsh jail in September and October 2022, the Old Bailey has heard.

On Monday, he went on trial charged with 20 offences, including five of attempted murder.

He changed some of his pleas on Friday but continues to deny the five murder charges and one of having an article with a sharpened point or blade in prison.

Giving evidence in his defence, Rahman made a series of admissions under cross-examination leading to him changing some of his pleas, pleading guilty to five alternate charges of attempted wounding.

He also admitted six attempted assaults on emergency workers and three charges of possessing sharpened pieces of plastic in prison.

At the time of the alleged offences, the defendant was serving a life sentence for three earlier attempted murders and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, jurors heard.

Prosecutor Alistair Richardson had said Rahman was a "highly dangerous man" who had repeatedly expressed a desire to kill prison officers, who he regarded as "kuffar", a derogatory term for non-Muslims.

On September 23 2022, the defendant had been detained in the high-security segregation unit at HMP Swaleside over concerns he was trying to radicalise other inmates to "extreme versions of Islam", the court was told.

While being escorted to a shower, he punched one officer and stabbed another in the forehead with a pen, the court heard.

He punched a third in the stomach and stamped on the foot of a fourth after they went to help their colleagues.

During an attempt to retrieve a homemade weapon, the defendant tried to stab an officer in the neck, jurors had heard.

After he was moved to Belmarsh, he allegedly tried to kill three officers in October 2022, stabbing one in the head and neck and cutting two more officers' necks as he was restrained.

On being ordered to open his hand, the defendant was seen with the bottom of a plastic spoon that had been sharpened, the court heard.

The trial continues.

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