A Muslim-convert inmate slashed the face of the Finsbury Park terror attacker in HMP Frankland following an argument over a book.
Daniel Service, 33, was serving a lengthy prison sentence at the Category A men’s prison when he slashed the face of murderer Darren Osborne with a craft knife on January 7, last year. Osborne was responsible for a terror attack in 2017 that saw him drive a van into a crown of Muslims near Finsbury Park Mosque.
The terror attack killed one person and injured 11 others, with Osborne receiving a life sentence, which he was serving at the County Durham prison. Osborne was housed on the same wing as Service – who was serving a 17-year extended prison sentence for grievous bodily harm with intent which had been carried out in Bristol.
Teesside Crown Court heard on Friday that the gruesome attack was “not motivated by any religious hostility”, but buy the late return of a fitness book. Service was handed a prison sentence of eight years and three months, which will be served consecutively to his current sentence. He had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
(Image: PA)
The court heard that Service – a Muslim-convert – and Osborne were serving their sentences on the same wing at HMP Frankland. The pair were also friendly with each other and regularly played snooker and worked out together in the prison gym.
But prosecutor Eleanor Mitten said that in January last year, tensions were high among prisoners as there had been a stabbing and a number of craft knives had gone missing from the workshop. She said that Service had managed to obtain a craft knife and was carrying it around for protection – as did “many others”.
Ms Mitten told the court that Service had asked to borrow a “fitness book” from Osborne, and later went to return it. She said: “[Service] went to [Osborne’s] cell with the book and had the weapon on him. An argument broke out and [Osborne] got worked up about how long it had taken to bring back.”
It was then that Service slashed Osborne’s face “in anger”. The court heard that Osborne felt something “drawing down his face” and fell to the floor as blood gushed from the wound. When a prison guard entered the cell, he saw Service kneeling on top of the victim before saying, “I’m done”. He then dropped the blood-soaked knife on the floor.
Osborne was rushed to hospital where he was treated to the laceration to his face, which ran down from his left eyebrow and narrowly missed his eyeball. He may now have permanent scarring, the court heard.
Rabah Kherbane, defending Service – who is now housed at HMP Whitemoor, a Category A men’s prison in Cambridgeshire – said he is now on a “therapeutic wing”. He said Service “immediately gave up the weapon” and removed himself when the prison guard entered the cell.
He said: “Intelligence showed [Osborne] was anxious about ‘big Muslims’ on the wing. It might be his anxiety is a background feature. [The attack] erupted out of a spontaneous argument and he accepts he shouldn’t have acted in the way he did. He is remorseful.”
Sentencing Service, who appeared at court via video link from HMP Whitemoor, Judge Richard Bennett said the defendant suffers from a mental disorder and “delusional beliefs”. He said the attack “was not motivated by any religious hostility”.
The judge added that Service continues to pose a significant risk to other prisoners and members of the public. He handed him another extended prison sentence of eight years and three months.
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