Jeremy Pinson, specialist Prison Law solicitor, considers the repercussions for Stuart Horner following his protest at HMP Manchester
The rooftop protester Stuart Horner finally came off the roof of HMP Manchester at 03.00 am this morning after reportedly being offered a pizza and a can of coke. Mr Horner is a convicted murderer having received a life sentence with a tariff of 27 years in 2012 for the murder of his uncle. He started the protest on Sunday at 2pm and during such protest stripped to a pair of Manchester United boxer shorts, smashed windows, threw items from the roof and goaded prison officers in between pleas for reform of the prison system.
Disruption at HMP Manchester
Mr Horner has caused significant disruption at HMP Manchester during his 60 hour long protest against increasingly poor conditions across the prison estate as a consequence of continued cuts imposed by the Ministry of Justice.
It is reported that the disturbance has resulted in 60 prisoners being moved out of HMP Manchester with 25 Category A prisoners from E wing having to be relocated due to damage to the roof of E wing and other concerns.
Categorisation of Prisoners
Whilst Mr Horner could well face criminal proceedings as a result of his actions during the protest, the action undertaken by him will have significant consequences in terms of his progression though the prison system. Mr Horner is likely to be considered a higher escape risk and will most probably face being transferred around the high security dispersal estate. It is understood that he had had only recently been moved to HMP Manchester from HMP Garth as it was considered his escape risk had increased and the Prison Service had reclassified him as a Category A prisoner.
There is the possibility he will be moved to one of the high security units also known as a Closed Supervision Centre. The CSC system is designed to deal with the most disruptive of inmates and there is little doubt that the Prison Service will now impose on Mr Horner measures that will reflect in their opinion the disruption he has caused.
Jeremy Pinson – Specialist Prison Lawyer
Written by Jeremy Pinson. Jeremy is a specialist Prison Law solicitor and he has conducted a wide range of public law actions on behalf of serving prisoners. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Prison Lawyers.
