Prison officer stabbed in the head by inmate at young offenders' institute

An officer was taken to hospital after an incident in the West Yorkshire institution

Wetherby Young Offenders Institution (Wikipedia)

A prison officer has been stabbed in the head by an inmate in a West Yorkshire young offenders’ institution.

The officer was reportedly stabbed by an inmate at HMYOI Wetherby, a prison for male young offenders aged 15 to 17 near Leeds.

The staff member was taken to hospital on Thursday following the incident, and was discharged later that day.

The prisoner responsible has been taken to a segregation unit, and police are investigating further.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "An officer at Wetherby prison was taken to hospital on Thursday 10 March following an incident involving a prisoner. The police are investigating. Violence against our hard-working staff will not be tolerated.”

The institution has had several recent incidents of violence against staff from inmates, with an assessment in January recording 39 assaults on staff in a six month period.

A prison lockdown took place at HMYOI Wetherby in February after five members of staff were assaulted in one week and the prison was forced to keep its 300 inmates within their cells.

In October 2014 a prison officer at HMYOI Wetherby was awarded £56,500 in compensation after an inmate attempted to gouge his eyes out, which he said made him feel forced to retire.