Prisoner stabbed to death at Wormwood Scrubs - Police launch murder probe
A PRISONER has been stabbed to death at Wormwood Scrubs in west London, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.
Wormwood Scrubs
Officers are understood to have discovered the victim's body in the cell of another inmate.
It is understood the man had been stabbed several times. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Scotland Yard has launched a murder inquiry and police are at the prison as the investigation gets underway.
The prisoner was found with multiple stab wounds in another inmate's cell
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police were called at 3.19pm on Wednesday January 31 to reports of a male with stab injuries at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
"A male was later pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests have been made. Inquiries are ongoing."
The man has not been formally identified and his family has not yet been informed, police said.
A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.
Police have launched a murder investigation after the fatal stabbing at the prison
Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B prison which houses around 1,200 male inmates and has a reputation as one of the toughest prisons in the UK.
A report published last month painted a grim picture of chronic staff shortages, regular food shortages and a surge in violence.
The report by the Independent Monitoring Board described the prison as “a dangerous environment for staff and prisoners alike, with multiple violent incidents on most days".
It warned the prison was a "dangerous place" with 40 to 50 violent incidents in a typical month.
Inspectors found Wormwood Scrubs had high levels of often serious violence
The report said: "Managers and officers are expected to work - and prisoners are expected to live - in unacceptable conditions, which are not only indecent but also represent a threat to the security of the prison."
Inspectors found areas of the west London prison were strewn with litter, attracting rats and cockroaches.