Man charged with attempted murder of Greater Manchester Police officer in Frankland Prison

David Taylor, 62, remanded in custody pending magistrates’ court hearing

HMP Frankland is a category A men’s prison (Tom Wilkinson/PA) (PA Wire)

A man has been charged with attempted murder after a police officer was stabbed at the high-security Frankland Prison.

David Taylor, 62, formerly of Willington, County Durham, has been remanded in custody to appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on 3 September, Durham Police said.

The officer, a detective constable serving with Greater Manchester Police, suffered a single stab wound to the chest during the incident on 23 July.

The officer suffered critical injuries and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

He is now recovering at home from the stabbing, which Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood had described on X, formerly Twitter, as “deeply concerning”.

Frankland Prison in Durham, which houses more than 800 prisoners, has held a number of high-profile criminals.

An inspection in 2020 by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons found that it had strong standards across the board, particularly its security measures.

Almost all those held are serving sentences of at least 10 years, with most serving indeterminate or life sentences.

Taylor will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on September 3.