Burglar stabbed in Chelmsford prison kitchen awarded more than £5m

A burglar who suffered “life-changing” injuries after he was stabbed while working in a prison canteen has been awarded more than £5m in damages by a High Court judge.

Steven Wilson, 36, was attacked by a fellow prisoner armed with a 9in knife as he carried out kitchen duties at HMP Chelmsford, in Essex, in July 2018.

A risk assessment of Mr Wilson’s attacker, who was serving a life sentence for murder, said it was “unknown” if he could be left unsupervised prior to the attack.

Mr Wilson sued the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) which admitted liability over the incident but challenged the level of his claim for damages.

In a ruling on Friday, Judge Melissa Clarke awarded Mr Wilson £5,404,559 in damages.

He suffered lacerations to his liver and stomach, penetrating wounds to his abdomen and chest wall, and an incomplete spinal lesion during the attack.

“There is no doubt that Mr Wilson’s life has been radically and permanently affected by the physical and psychiatric/psychological injuries caused by that terrible attack in the prison kitchen,” she wrote.

The judge said as a result of his injuries, Mr Wilson needed a wheelchair, a walking stick and a frame.

During a trial in April, the claimant described how he “felt very vulnerable in prison” and was fearful of his vulnerable state if attacked again.

Mr Wilson, who had 31 previous convictions between 1999 and 2018, had been on remand for aggravated burglary at the time of the stabbing.

He was later convicted and sentenced to nine years, discounted to six-and-a-half-years imprisonment on account of his injuries, and was released in June 2021.

Judge Clarke said the MoJ “very quickly accepted liability” over the attack, but disputes arose over Mr Wilson’s condition, the level of treatment he would require and the impact on his future loss of earnings.

The judge said a prison risk assessment about Mr Wilson’s attacker showed staff were unsure if he was “sufficiently trustworthy” to be left unsupervised.

“Nonetheless the defendant had deployed him to work in the prison with ready access to knives,” she added.

Mr Wilson would “likely require 24 hours support” by the time he was 60 years old, Judge Clarke said.