Muslim inmate tried to kill five prison officers and shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’, court hears

The 38-year-old, originally from Ipswich, allegedly used homemade weapons for the attack including a sharpened plastic spoon, the court heard.

Alistair Richardson, prosecuting, told jurors at the Old Bailey that Rahman viewed the prison officers as "kuffar" a derogatory term for non-Muslims.

He told the court: "This highly dangerous man does not leave it to anybody else to work out what he is doing.

"He has repeatedly said that he wants to kill prison officers. Both before the attacks, at the time he attacks, and afterwards."

The jury also heard how the defendant was serving a life sentence for three earlier attempted murders in the summer of 2017.

The court heard that on September 23, 2022, Rahman was being detained in the high-security segregation unit at HMP Swaleside over concerns he was trying to radicalise other inmates to "extreme versions of Islam".

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Jurors were told he was being escorted to a shower when he allegedly punched officer Lee Lassman in the face, shouting "Allahu Akbar" before he is said to have stabbed officer Ludovic Barbier in the forehead with a pen.

As he was restrained, the defendant allegedly continued to shout, stamp, kick and try to bite officers.

He is accused of then going on to punch officer Dale Marsden in the stomach and stamp on officer Ross Greig’s foot after they went to help their colleagues.

The court heard how the following day, Lassman carried out a welfare check and found Rahman standing naked in his cell holding a three-inch piece of sharpened plastic.

During an attempt to retrieve the weapon, the defendant allegedly tried to stab Simon Lowman, another officer, in the neck, it was claimed.

The court heard how the next day Rahman made a throat-cutting motion with an improvised weapon and shouted: "I’m going to put this in your eye."

Rahman was then moved to Belmarsh prison where he allegedly tried to kill prison officers Elizabeth Franklin, John Clark and Robert Salter on October 23, 2022, the court was told.

The officers had gone to his cell to escort him to get his lunch when the defendant is said to have thrown his bin at two of them and ran towards Franklin shouting "death to kuffar" and stabbing at her head and neck.

Jurors were told the defendant also cut the other two officers’ necks during attempts to restrain him. The court heard how on being ordered to open his hand, the defendant was seen with the bottom of a plastic spoon that had been sharpened.

A senior officer who ran to see what was going on allegedly heard Rahman shout: "I’ll kill you all. Die kuffars," while still holding a weapon in his hand. In a note, the defendant later explained he was angry with the prison officers who he felt were mocking him, jurors were told.

Rahman denies the charges and said in a statement in a police interview that he did not intend to kill anyone, that he had been trying to provoke the officers, and that his mental health was deteriorating.

The trial before Justice McGowan continues.