Prison guard kicked to death by inmate who lashed out with no warning
A prison guard was kicked to death by a prisoner whilst he was being moved from a cell to a van.
Lorraine Barwell, 54, from Romford, Essex, was kicked repeatedly by Humphrey Burke, 28, at Blackfriars Crown Court in June 2015.
The first blow knocked the grandmother to her knees and the second fractured her jaw, causing a brain haemorrhage.
She died two days later after her life support machine was switched off.
Prison custody officer Annie Monnorman told Prospero House crown court: ‘I believe Burke was just sitting there in his cell, I could see Lorraine talking at the door, saying “come on, we need to go.”
‘I think she walked up to him, cuffed him, but when they walked to the door of the cell he fell to the floor.
‘But as soon as they pulled him into the “L” position, he just lifted his head and he kicked her, it was that quick.’
Ms Monnorman also detailed how ‘there was no warning at all’ but it did ‘not come across as aggressive’.
She said: ‘From my position it wasn’t an aggressive kind of thing, he just kicked straight out and she went straight down.’
Burke, who is a paranoid schizophrenic, admitted manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.
After a series of hearings he was sent to a psychiatric hospital indefinitely in January this year.
However security giant Serco is facing a huge fine for breaching health and safety laws.
Gordon Menzies, prosecuting, said: ‘In January 2015 Mr Burke was identified as being a risk to staff.
‘He was someone described as aggressive and ready to launch an attack at anyone opening his cell.
‘He was identified as someone who could lash out for no reason and you could not read him or know how he would react.
‘Ms Barwell raised concerns about what was being asked of staff. Nothing was done by Serco in response to what she raised.’
Serco disputes the claims made. The hearing continues.
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