Three on jail guard hostage charge
Three serving prisoners have been charged with taking a guard hostage after an investigation by counter-terror police.
Feroz Khan, Fuad Awale and David Watson, who were all inmates at HMP Full Sutton in North Yorkshire, are accused of false imprisonment on May 26, when it is claimed they held a prison officer against his will.
The trio appeared by videolink from three separate jails at Westminster Magistrates' Court to face the charge.
Khan and Awale are also accused of threatening to kill the officer, and Khan is charged with causing grievous bodily harm to the guard, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on a second officer.
Khan, 26, appeared from HMP Long Lartin, and smirked, stroked his beard and laughed as he was asked to confirm his name and date of birth. Watson, 26, who appeared from HMP Wakefield, and Awale, 25, who was at HMP Strangeways, spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth. Their case was sent to the Old Bailey and the next hearing will take place on September 27.
Announcing the charges, Rakesh Sarin, from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Following an investigation by the police's north east counter-terrorism unit, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised charges against three men currently detained in prison.
"It is alleged that on May 26, 2013 Feroz Khan, Fuad Awale and David Watson, all of whom were at that time prisoners at HMP Full Sutton, unlawfully imprisoned a prison officer and detained him against his will. They will be jointly charged with one count of false imprisonment, contrary to common law.
"A number of demands were made during the incident which resulted in the case being handled by counter-terrorism officers and specialist prosecutors.
"Feroz Khan will also be charged with making a threat to kill the prison officer, and one charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm on him. He will further be charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm on a second prison officer.
"Fuad Awale will also be charged with making a threat to kill the first prison officer. All these offences are alleged to have taken place during the same incident on May 26 this year."
