- Norris was attacked while on remand in Belmarsh prison
By
Charles Walford
Last updated at 4:34 PM on 4th January 2012
David Norris and Gary Dobson are expected to be given extra protection in prison amid fears of revenge attacks.
The killers of Stephen Lawrence are thought to be likely targets for reprisals from ethnic minority inmates angered by the vile racist attitudes that emerged during the trial.
It is likely they will serve their sentences in segregated wings alongside other ‘vulnerable’ prisoners such as paedophiles who are also thought to be at risk of attack.
Gary Dobson and David Norris are likely to be given extra protection in prison amid fear of revenge attacks
Dobson and Norris will start serving their sentence at the category A Belmarsh prison
A legal expert told Mail Online:
‘There is a general duty of care to ensure their safety; how it is
fulfilled is a matter for the prison governor.
‘But Rule 45 is likely to come into play, under which they could be put in solitary confinement for their own protection.
‘Precautions could include making them exercise on their own, and housing them in the hospital wing or another solitary wing.
‘There is a duty of care to take reasonable steps to keep them safe.’
Rule 45 (formerly Rule 43), is the
rule that allows the isolation of vulnerable prisoners in the interests of their own personal safety.
The pair are likely to be kept in a segregated to wing to protect against revenge attacks
The
extra precautions – which will come at increased cost to the taxpayer –
follow an attack on Norris in Belmarsh prison, south London, while he
was on remand awaiting trial.
He was attacked by three black inmates just weeks after he was arrested for Stephen’s murder in September 2010.
Prison
sources said the three men, thought to be Muslims, beat Norris after he
tried to ‘throw his weight around’ by using his family’s underworld
reputation.
The assault left him with problems to
his hearing and throughout the trial he had to wear a special headset to
follow the proceedings.
It also saw extra protection placed on him at the prison and heightened fears that he and Dobson will be ‘marked men’.
The need for extra protection is also
triggered by the fact that the killers could seek compensation if an
assault does take place.
Hiding: Family or friends of the Norris family arrive at the Old Bailey with their faces hidden behind scarves for the sentencing of David Norris today
One of Norris’s associates makes an obscene gesture at our photographer
It is feared ethnic minority prisoners will seek revenge for the death of Stephen Lawrence
Norris could potentially bring legal action against prison authorities for failing in their ‘duty of care’ towards him.
Following their convictions
yesterday, the pair were taken to Belmarsh. They are likely to be
transferred to Category A prisons elsewhere in the country.
Guards are also likely to be told to keep a special watch on the pair to further minimise the danger that they face.
Soham murderer Ian Huntley, who was
slashed in the throat in 2010 in jail, attempted to sue authorities for
£100,000 for failing to protect him.
The Ministry of Justice pays significant sums each year to injured prisoners.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said inmates at risk were kept apart from other prisoners when necessary.
It is not yet known if the two men convicted of the Lawrence murder will be seen as suicide risks.
But Dobson could yet see his sentence cut short.
Detectives
believe he might seek a deal with prosecutors and finally come clean
about who else was responsible for Stephen’s death.
Police
believe they have exhausted all opportunities to gather new forensic
evidence in the Lawrence case, meaning their best chance of nailing the
other gang members is if a new witness were to come forward, or Dobson – long regarded as one of the ‘weak links’ in the mob –were to become a supergrass.
It is understood the possibility of Dobson co-operating has already been discussed informally by investigators.
Gary Dobson’s parents, Pauline and Stephen, arrive at the Old Bailey for the sentencing of their son for the murder of Stephen Lawrence
Pauline Dobson had told the court during the trial that her son was at home at the time Stephen was murdered
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Put them in solitary confinement, that should keep them safe!
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The number of people who would lose sleep over the safety of these thugs could be written on a postage stamp.
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They should be told, segregation is a privilege that will be taken away unless they start naming all others involved, this scum left Stephen Lawrence top his fate, leave them to theirs !
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I thought they were big strong hard men, who were afraid of nothing. Or are they in fact the most despicable cowards ?
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– Lee, Bury , 04/1/2012 15:41 ABSOLUTELY !!!
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They turn up to Court in jeans, what a bunch of degenerates.
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Did I just read that prisoners can sue the authorities if they are attacked in jail by other inmates? That truely is absurd! RIP Stephen x
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Alongside paedophiles?…..Nice one
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Bet they’re not so hard now.
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Regardless of the heinous crimes committed the fundamentals of the British justice system is that the punishment is loss of liberty. It is not retribution/revenge/retaliation and it is not the decent thing for us as human beings to allow any inmate to take the law into their own hands. Yes these two individuals deserve to be punished for the crimes committed (and that punishment is prison) but allowing the mob mentality to rule would align us with the perpetrators of crime. Not a situation I would like to be associated with.
I am not a bleeding heart liberal and feel that society should be protected from such individuals with life meaning for life with no chance of parole.
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