Prisoner dies after throat is slashed at Thameside prison

A prisoner has died after his throat was slashed inside a privately run jail.

The inmate, in his 40s, was attacked at HMP Thameside in Greenwich, south east London, in the early hours of Sunday.

He died at the Serco-run facility, which opened in 2012 and holds around 1,200 inmates.

A man in his late 30s has been arrested on suspicion of murder, according to the force.

HMP Thameside serves courts in east and south-east London, and has an "extremely high turnover of prisoners" with the average stay a "mere 36 days", according to an inspection report in 2017.

HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke found the prison had a "had a generally settled and respectful atmosphere" but noted that "levels of violence were high."

He added: "However, there was a good violence reduction plan in place and although there had not been a reduction in violence, Thameside had bucked the trend in comparable prisons as it had not experienced the huge rises in violence seen elsewhere. This was a significant achievement."