Inmate receives additional prison term for assaulting terrorist

An incarcerated individual, described as violent, has been given an additional sentence of four years and three months after assaulting the Finsbury Park terrorist by slashing his face within a maximum security correctional facility. Teesside Crown Court was informed that Daniel Service, aged 33, assaulted Darren Osborne, who was responsible for a fatality after driving into a group of people outside a mosque in north London. This incident occurred at HMP Frankland in Durham during January 2023. Service, who was already serving a 12-year sentence for inflicting life-altering brain injuries on another individual, repeatedly cut Osborne using a craft knife following a dispute between them concerning a fitness book. Service, whose origins are in Gloucestershire, participated in the court proceedings remotely via videolink from HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, where he confessed to the charge of wounding Osborne with intent. Testimony presented to the court indicated that Service and Osborne had maintained a friendship prior to the assault on January 7 of the previous year, engaging in activities such as gym visits and snooker games together. Prosecutor Eleanor Mitten stated that Service, having converted to Islam, had extended an offer to lend Osborne a book on fitness and proceeded to Osborne’s cell to deliver it. The court was informed that a heightened state of tension existed within the prison due to the disappearance of a collection of craft knives, and Service asserted that he had equipped himself with a blade for self-defense. A disagreement arose inside Osborne’s cell concerning the delay in transferring the book, which led Service to repeatedly slash Osborne’s face. The court heard that Osborne sustained lacerations to the left side of his face, his nose, and extending from his eye to his lip, which subsequently caused scarring. The individual convicted of terrorism expressed that the assault had made him feel insecure and that he feared he would have lost his sight had his glasses not shielded his eye. During the mitigation proceedings, Rabah Kherbane stated that the incident constituted a “spontaneous argument” occurring at a period when Osborne’s apprehensions might have been elevated, as he was “anxious about big Muslims on the wing”. Osborne, a resident of Cardiff, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 43 years in 2018 for the attack he carried out in 2017. Conversely, Service, from Yate, was incarcerated in 2019 for 12 years, along with an additional five years on an extended licence, for an assault on a man at a Bristol hotel. The court was informed that, during that prior incident, Service encountered a man he recognized from a previous period of incarceration by chance, and the two, accompanied by Service’s girlfriend, proceeded to a hotel room. Ms Mitten reported that the victim was subsequently discovered in a critical, life-threatening state, and despite surviving, he had sustained an “extensive brain injury” necessitating continuous, lifelong support and care. Judge Richard Bennett declared that Service continued to pose a threat to both fellow prisoners and the general public. He added that Service’s new sentence, which incorporates an additional four years on an extended licence, would run consecutively to his existing prison term. BBC North East can be followed on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. Story ideas may be submitted to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Details concerning our approach to external linking are available.