Peterborough prison inmate killed in cell after argument over vapes
A man has been jailed for murdering a fellow prisoner at HMP Peterborough after a row about repaying £80 with vapes led to a fatal assault inside a cell
Last updated 21st Jul 2025
A prisoner has been jailed for 16 years and six months after he killed another inmate at HMP Peterborough during an argument over vapes.
Jordan Neale, 27, punched Gareth Jones three times in the head and chest inside a prison cell on 12 July 2024. Mr Jones, 42, collapsed and was later taken to Peterborough City Hospital, where his life support was switched off the following day after he suffered a bleed on the brain.
Neale told police he had given Mr Jones £80 and had been promised vapes in return. He said the two men argued in the dinner queue and later went back to Mr Jones’ cell, where Mr Jones spat at him. Neale admitted hitting him several times.
After the attack, Neale returned to his cell and made two phone calls using the prison landline. In one, he told a friend: “I’ve killed someone… he’s not breathing… I’m looking at life.”
Neale was convicted of murder by a jury at Peterborough Crown Court following a ten-day trial in February, and sentenced on Friday 18 July.
Detective Inspector Dale Mepstead from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said: “This was an unprovoked attack with catastrophic consequences. Neale admitted he didn’t know his own strength and saw red.”
In a statement, Mr Jones’ family said: “Gareth, our brother, uncle and father, lost his rights to life in such a horrific way. This has left a big hole in our hearts that will never heal. We are truly heartbroken. He will never be forgotten.”