A former Strangeways prison officer has revealed how he 'lost his rag' at a prisoner amid the pressure of working in the jail. The incident is revealed in a second book written by Neil Samworth, about his time working at HMP Manchester.
He explains how it was pre-empted by a period of 'modernisation' at the prison which disrupted the Strangeways routine and his own mental health. It happened in 2015 on the servery one dinner time in 'a blaze of red mist', he writes.
Neil recalls: "A prisoner kicked off, attacking the SO (senior officer) and a female colleague of ours the wrong side of a locked electronic door. It took ages to open, but once it was, and I was able to get through I lost my rag. Afterwards I could hardly remember a thing about it. Both my knees and my right fist were a mess - I displaced a knuckle - but the guy's face was in worse shape."
