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Prisons - in brief (4)

01 January 1999

UK: New DG for Prison Service: Martin Narey was been appointed director general of the Prison Service in December. Narey will succeed Richard Tilt who will retire in the Spring. Narey joined the Prison service in 1982 and served at Deerbolt borstal and Frankland prison before spending two years as Private Secretary to Lord Ferrers, Minister of State at the Home Office. He also held a number of posts in the Home Office Criminal Policy and Police departments. In 1996-97 he conducted a review of delays in the criminal justice system and in 1998 he conducted an investigation at Long Kesh (The Maze) prison into the escape of Liam Averill and the killing of Billy Wright. Since January 1998 he has been director of Regimes of HM Prison Service. Home Office press release 24.12.98.

UK: Prison officer jailed for racist attack: A Belmarsh prison officer, Barry Lugg, has been sacked from his job after being jailed for ten weeks at Greenwich magistrates' court in January for carrying out a frenzied attack on a black traffic warden last year. Lugg, from east London, launched a tirade of racist abuse against Sunday Ajifowowe after getting a parking ticket at Lewisham shopping centre. He then attacked Ajifowowe, knocking him to the ground, and boasting: "I'll treat you like I treat my prisoners." Following the initial attack, Lugg drove to the Wearside parking depot and demanded Mr Ajifowowe's home address; when he was refused he racially abused a member of staff before driving off to hunt down the traffic warden and launch a second assault. Lugg was jailed for the minimum sentence because magistrate Howard Riddle took sympathy on him after he attempted suicide on learning that he might receive a custodial sentence for his savage behaviour. South London Press 1.12.98, 22.1.99.