An arson attack on cars belonging to staff at HMP Altcourse may have been ordered by a notorious Merseyside criminal serving a sentence in the North West, according to sources.
Two vehicles were set on fire in the Fazakerley prison's staff car park at around 11.45pm on Friday, November 4. Detectives say two men were seen approaching from Brookfield Drive, setting the cars alight and then fleeing in the same direction.
No one was injured in the blaze but "significant damage" was done to the vehicles. Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service attended the G4S-run prison and extinguished the fire, with officers from Merseyside Police also attending.
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The ECHO understands a notorious criminal from Merseyside, currently serving a sentence in another North West prison, may be linked with the attacks, and other incidents of vandalism at prison car parks.
A source with knowledge of the incidents said staff and inmates at both jails believe the convicted drug dealer has "used his connections on the outside" to order the attacks.
A spokeswoman from Merseyside Police said the force were "not aware" of any links between the Altcourse arson and vandalism at other jails.
Inspector Paul Rannard, of Merseyside Police, said: “Although nobody was injured, this was a dangerous incident that caused significant damage to the cars involved and could have spread to other vehicles in the carpark. We understand the concern that such incidents can cause in such places and are acting on all information provided to remove such risks.
“Detectives would like to hear from businesses in the area or anyone who was on Brookfield Drive at around 11.45pm and saw or heard anything or captured anyone running from the area on their own dashcam or CCTV footage. Any information could be vital as this investigation continues.”
Anyone who has any information can contact us by DM via our social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ with reference 22000812013.
You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.
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