£65,000 award for Bronson hostage

A former prison education lecturer held hostage by the notorious inmate Charles Bronson has been awarded £65,000 compensation for his ordeal.

Phil Danielson, an education manager with Hull prison at the time he was taken hostage, received the payment for stress-related disorders suffered because of the experience.

On the day of the assault, Bronson, a Category A prisoner known for his disruptive behaviour who had kidnapped other prison officials, burst into a tutorial being taken by Mr Danielson. He pushed him to the floor and held a knife to his ribs. During 44 hours as a hostage, he was kept tied up.

Mr Danielson, 38, said yesterday: "The experience has left me a different person with my career prospects in ruins."

Since the ordeal, he has suffered a nervous breakdown and still experiences nightmares and flashbacks associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and can cope only with part-time work.

At one stage during the incident Bronson dragged him around the jail classroom with a rope tied around his neck. "Some days I still can't cope but I'm just glad to finally draw a line under the whole ordeal," Mr Danielson said.

Paul Mackney, general secretary of the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education, which represented Mr Danielson, added: "Phil's case highlights some of the worst failures of the prison system. Our members are subjected to dangerous working conditions, without benefit of training, support or recognition.

"The Home Office has admitted liability. We now urgently want to see changes so no other employee has to go through what he has."

Judith Gledhill, a solicitor with Thompson's solicitors who acted for Mr Danielson, said: "Hopefully, the Home Office have learnt a lesson from this case and will improve all aspects of health and safety in prisons and similar institutions up and down the country."

The Home Office has not admitted liability in reaching the out-of-court settlement with Mr Danielson's legal team.