Stevie Hilden has been jailed for murdering his Belmarsh cellmate
(Picture: Met Police)A prisoner who killed a fellow inmate at HMP Belmarsh after bludgeoning him to death with a wooden chair leg has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Stevie Hilden, 31, of no fixed address, was jailed for the murder of 36-year-old Sundeep Singh Ghuman at the jail in south-east London in 2020.
He will serve a minimum of 17 years before being eligible for parole, a sentencing hearing at Woolwich Crown Court heard on Friday.
The court was told prison officers were scrambled to a disturbance inside a locked cell at HMP Belmarsh.
The officers entered the cell and found Mr Ghuman with severe injuries.
They battled to save his life but he died in hospital the next day.
Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command commenced a murder investigation.
A post-mortem examination found the victim had died from a traumatic head injury caused by a blunt object. He had also suffered extensive bruising to other parts of his body.
It is believed that Hilden used a wooden table leg that had been broken from a table inside the cell to carry out the brutal attack.
Hilden was arrested and interviewed about the incident but refused to answer any questions and didn’t provide an explanation to police during the interview about his involvement in the attack.
However, he was charged with murder after detectives collected overwhelming evidence, including forensics.
Detective Inspector Karen Bangs, the investigating officer, said:“Sundeep suffered a sustained attack that left him seriously injured and ultimately resulted in his death. My thoughts remain with his family as they continue to come to terms with their loss.
“This was a complex investigation in a challenging environment and I would like to thank the prison authorities for their support throughout the process.
“Hilden is a dangerous offender and he will now spend a considerable time in a high-security prison.”
Sundeep’s mother, Harpal Ghuman, said: “On 19 February 2020 my son was killed in a brutal and merciless way. To think of the pain and suffering Sandeep had to go through makes me very upset.
“Mr Hilden has shown no remorse for his actions. I do not want anyone else to go through the pain and loss that I have had. I have listened to all the evidence at court and wish to thank the prison officers, police officers and barristers for bringing justice for my son”.
