'Rahman stepped forward with a copy of the Koran in his hands. He was repeatedly shouting Allahu Akbar'

Thursday 29 August 2019 - A violent inmate is accused of launching a series of barbaric attacks on prison officers and an inmate, a court has heard.

Lincoln Crown Court was told Aklakur Rahman used makeshift weapons constructed from razor blades to slash a prison officer and a fellow prisoner during an incident at Wayland Prison in Norfolk.The two victims were left seriously injured with each needing dozens of stitches.

The jury was told that Rahman was subsequently transferred to Lincoln Prison and days later tried to murder a prison officer using a piece of masonry he had managed to conceal in his cell.He was then moved to Wakefield Jail where, despite being held under the strictest security conditions, he went on to slash another prison officer using a screw.

'The first of these was at HMP Wayland. This defendant subjected another prisoner, David Sutton, to an unprovoked and sustained attack on a prison landing. Using a makeshift weapon the defendant repeatedly aimed blows at Mr Sutton’s neck and face shouting Allahu Akbar'.

'At one stage Mr Sutton was put to the floor but he regained his footing and ran away towards a locked security gate but Rahman was not yet finished and followed him using the weapons to deliver another blow to Mr Sutton’s neck.'

Mr Bradley said that prison officer Derek Walker went to assist Mr Sutton and managed to knock the weapon out of Rahman’s hands but Rahman ran to a nearby store and fetched a second similar weapon made from razor blades.

Rahman then slashed Mr Walker to the head with the blade before he was overpowered.Rahman was transferred to Lincoln Prison and two days later attacked prison officer Sean Humphries, a court heard.

Jurors will told his victim was one of three prison officers who went to Rahman’s cell to escort him to the exercise yard.

Mr Bradley said 'When the cell door opened Rahman stepped forward with a copy of the Koran in his hands. Without warning he then lunged at Mr Humphreys swinging blows at his face. He struck Mr Humphries three times in the face. He was repeatedly shouting Allahu Akbar.'

The prison officer suffered blunt force injuries and a cut which were inflicted by a piece of masonry Rahman had concealed, a court heard

Mr Bradley said that psychiatrists diagnosed Rahman as suffering from paranoid psychosis.

The prosecutor said 'Aklakur Rahman does not dispute the fact that he assaulted the men. His defence is that at the time he was clinically insane.'

Editor's comment - If this were the only instance of a Muslim screaming 'Allahu Akbar' while committing violent acts, then we could just about swallow the mental health defence. But it's happening too often to be believable.