Kent prisoner admits attacking staff using homemade weapons
The court has heard he had a history of using improvised weapons to try to kill prison officers
A Kent inmate has admitted a string of prison attacks with homemade weapons, but continued to deny attempting to murder five prison officers.
Aklakar Rahman, 38, had repeatedly attacked staff at HMS Swaleside in Kent and high-security south London Belmarsh jail in September and October 2022, the Old Bailey has heard.
On Monday, he went on trial charged with 20 offences, including five of attempted murder.
Giving evidence in his defence, Rahman made a series of admissions under cross-examination leading to him changing some of his pleas on Friday.
In front of the jury, he pleaded guilty to five alternative charges of attempted wounding.
He also admitted six attempted assaults on emergency workers and three charges of possessing sharpened pieces of plastic in prison.
The court has heard Rahman had a history of using improvised weapons to try to kill prison officers by stabbing at their heads and necks.
At the time of the alleged offences, the defendant was serving a life sentence for three earlier attempted murders and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, jurors heard.
They related to incidents of violence at HMP Wayland, HMP Lincoln and HMP Wakefield in the summer of 2017, jurors were told.
Prosecutor Alistair Richardson had said Rahman was a "highly dangerous man" who had repeatedly expressed a desire to kill prison officers, who he regarded as "kuffar", a derogatory term for non-Muslims.
On September 23 2022, the defendant had been detained in the high-security segregation unit at HMP Swaleside over concerns he was trying to radicalise other inmates to "extreme versions of Islam", the court was told.
While being escorted to a shower, he punched one officer and stabbed another in the forehead with a pen, the court heard.
He went on to punch a third officer in the stomach and stamp on the foot of a fourth after they went to help their colleagues.
During an attempt to retrieve a homemade weapon, the defendant tried to stab an officer in the neck, jurors had heard.
After he was moved to Belmarsh prison, he allegedly tried to kill three prison officers on October 23 2022.
It is alleged he stabbed one of them in the head and neck, and cut two more officers' necks amid attempts to restrain him.
On being ordered to open his hand, the defendant was seen with the bottom of a plastic spoon that had been sharpened, the court heard.
The trial before Mrs Justice McGowan continues.