'My whole world changed in 11 seconds - recent prison attacks break my heart'

Amid reports that Southport killer has allegedly attacked a prison officer, one former guard is bravely campaigning for change, and remains haunted by her own nightmare ordeal.

Rudakubana received a of 52 years in January for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, as well as the attempted murders of eight other children, Leanne Lucas, a class instructor, and businessman John Hayes.

It has been reported that the 18-year-old killer assaulted a prison officer at last Thursday (May 8), after his supervision was downgraded.

Rudakubana reportedly used , who was rushed to the hospital as a precaution. They have reportedly since been released without any need for further and are scheduled to return to work this week.

This follows the Mirror's recent discussion with retired prison officer Claire Lewis, whose entire life was turned upside down in the course of 11 seconds, in the course of her work at HMP Frankland.

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Claire, from Washington in Sunderland, began working for when she was 16 years old and joined the prison service in 2003. Outside of work, Claire was also doing well and was known to be a "very confident, very forthright" sort of person. Happily married to her husband, Ged, the couple was busily raising their two children. Life, in Claire's words, "was great."

Then everything changed the day before Mother's Day 2010, when a prisoner attacked her with a broken bottle. As a seasoned member of the prison service, mum-of-two Claire was well aware that there was an "element of risk" when it came to dealing with prisoners. However, she was "completely unprepared" for what happened that day.

She and her colleague Craig Wylde went to knock on the door of convicted triple killer Kevan Thakrar, who had previously tried to barricade himself in his own cell. He told them the barricade was no longer there, and so they unlocked the door. As soon as they did so, the inmate "flung" it open, causing Claire to have "a fright and jump back."

Craig attempted to grab the prisoner, who proceeded to stab him in the brachial artery - the major blood vessel that supplies blood to the upper arm. He was severely injured, but thankfully survived. Claire remembered: "Then he turned on me and said, 'I'm gonna effing kill you'. So I turned on my heels and I ran, and he was behind me, and he says, 'I'm gonna f****** kill you'.

"So he chased me along the landing, it's like a rectangle, so straight up and round, and I slipped on the next bend, and that's where he just lunged at me. He was running full force and stabbed me in the back. I felt it going in; it was like a red-hot poker, and I heard the snapping noise.

"Then he continued chasing me until another colleague basically rugby tackled him to the ground, and then I collapsed. I landed heavily on the landing floor. And then one of my other colleagues, who has sadly passed away, dragged me to safety. That's when I realised I was in a critical condition."

As a formerly fit and healthy individual with an active job, Claire's physical injuries were "soul-destroying", turning her "upside down", and forcing her into retirement at the age of just 35. And the emotional toll proved to be even more devastating. Although Claire feels she was supported by the prison "to a degree", she was left "so deeply traumatised", she was unable to deal with any phone calls from her former employer.

Thakrar, who had been jailed in 2007 for three drug-related murders, later admitted to stabbing Craig, Claire and their colleague Neil Walker with a broken bottle but claimed self-defence. and three counts of wounding with intent.

Recalling how she'd been in a "catatonic state" in the aftermath of her ordeal, Claire shared: "I didn't want anything to do with the prison because the injuries, the pain, the suffering, the nightmares, the torment for my family, my husband, my friends.

The last few weeks have been especially difficult for Claire, who has had to relive her trauma after learning of the recent horrific assault at her old workplace, HMP Frankland. On Saturday, April 12, viciously attacked three prison officers at HMP Frankland by using two makeshift weapons and by hurling boiling butter or margarine at them.

The previously reported how stabbed one guard in the neck and another in the back, numerous times. Two of the colleagues also suffered third-degree burns in what Steve Gillan, the general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association, described as a "cowardly attack".

Claire said: "I feel so sorry for those staff members who have been assaulted. It breaks my heart to know that this has happened again, and I know what they're potentially going to go through."

Going forward, Claire feels that no "meaningful lessons" have been learned in the 15 years since her own traumatic ordeal, and has called upon the government to take action before there is any more bloodshed. She's now campaigning to make sure fellow guards are properly equipped with mandatory anti-stab and anti-slash garments, with her new , which has clocked up more than 31,000 signatures and counting.

Worrying stats from HM Prison and Probation Service found there has been 20 per cent increase in attacks on prison officers across England and Wales over the past five years. Claire believes basic protective gear could mean the difference between life and death for officers, and fears more lives could be torn apart if changes are not implemented. Back when Claire was first assaulted, she did try to push for mandatory stab-proof vests; however, she says this ultimately "transpired to nothing" as she was informed such clothing was "oppressive".

She continued: "I just think there should be better personal protection equipment for all prison staff. It doesn't have to be a ballistic vest that looks oppressive; it can be a Kevlar undershirt or anything like that, which is pliable, and it doesn't have to look oppressive to prisoners. So, you know, you have bloody traffic wardens walking around in vests, yet you go into a high security prison and there's nothing?"

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson previously told the Mirror: “We will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff. The Lord Chancellor has announced a review into protective body armour and a trial of tasers in jails to better respond to serious incidents, and we’ll set out next steps soon.”

The Sun reported that Rudakubana's level of prison supervision has been relaxed in recent weeks, with the killer having previously been held in a healthcare unit under constant observation.

On Friday (May 9), a Prison Service spokesperson announced: "Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh yesterday." They went on to emphasise: "Violence in prison will not be tolerated, and we will always push for the strongest possible punishment for attacks on our hardworking staff."

Mark Fairhurst, the POA's national chairman, called into question the logic behind affording convicts like Rudakubana the same normalities as other inmates, telling the publication: "Why are we giving people like Rudakubana the same privileges and freedoms as other inmates? It makes no sense."

Meanwhile, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, took to social media to criticise prison safety priorities: "Since when did the right of a sick criminal to make a cup of tea come before the safety of a prison officer?"

Jenrick continued: "On Thursday, we're told, the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, attacked a prison officer with boiling water. The officer was hospitalised. My thoughts are with him and his family."

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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