Hostage drama at Highpoint
Thursday, 30th September 1999.
NEGOTIATORS were at work for 15 hours at Highpoint Prison, near Haverhill, when a prisoner took his cellmate hostage.
An ambulance was also on standby during the incident, in which the hostage was said to have been threatened with a sharp implement.
The alert was raised at about 2am and negotiations went on all day until the incident was eventually brought to a close in the late afternoon.
A prison service spokesman confirmed the incident had taken place in a shared cell and said the rest of the prison had carried on a normal during the incident.
She said: "There was a bit of damage to the cell because they barricaded themselves in."
The two prisoners now face disciplinary action.
In June this year, five women prisoners at the low-security prison staged a rooftop protest.
Highpoint houses nearly 700 low-risk prisoners, including 200 women.
An ambulance was also on standby during the incident, in which the hostage was said to have been threatened with a sharp implement.
The alert was raised at about 2am and negotiations went on all day until the incident was eventually brought to a close in the late afternoon.
A prison service spokesman confirmed the incident had taken place in a shared cell and said the rest of the prison had carried on a normal during the incident.
She said: "There was a bit of damage to the cell because they barricaded themselves in."
The two prisoners now face disciplinary action.
In June this year, five women prisoners at the low-security prison staged a rooftop protest.
Highpoint houses nearly 700 low-risk prisoners, including 200 women.
Comment on this story
[board listing] [login] [register]
You must be logged in to post messages. (login now)