Prison officer 'seriously injured' after being stabbed by inmate in unprovoked attack
Watch the report by Dean Thomas-Welch
A prison officer in Swansea has been "seriously injured" after being stabbed by an inmate on Saturday 12 June.
MPs are calling for an inquiry following the "unprovoked attack" on the HMP Swansea officer.
Local Members of Parliament are demanding that the prisoner is "moved without delay and charged with attempted murder."
Prior to the knife attack, the same prisoner had repeatedly stabbed a fellow inmate in the head in Berwyn prison in Wrexham.
He had also threatened to "slash" a female prison officer.
He was later transferred to HMP Swansea but was not segregated or put into a Category A prison.
In a statement, a Prison Service spokesperson said, “We do not tolerate attacks on our hardworking staff and will push for the strongest possible punishment.”
In a joint letter sent to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland by Geraint Davies MP, Carolyn Harris MP and Tonia Antoniazzi MP, it says the attack "could and should have been avoided."
Swansea West MP, Geraint Davies, said “Our thoughts are with the officer and his family at this most traumatic time.“We have heard today of the prison officer at Swansea prison who has been severely injured in an horrific unprovoked attack, last Saturday, amounting, in our view, to an attempted murder.
“We are calling for a full inquiry and for procedures to be put in place to ensure that in future very violent prisoners, in particular those who attack prisoner officers and fellow inmates in custody, are placed in the appropriate category of prison to ensure the safety of all those involved.
“We ask that this prisoner is moved without delay and that he is charged with attempted murder. We are committed to working with the POA union and authorities to ensure greater safety for prison officers.”
The Members of Parliament are due to meet with the prison governor and continue to liaise with the Prison Officers' Association (POA) union.