Prisoner held over murder of paedophile Colin Hatch
After the murder of a child sex killer held in a high security prison, one expert tells Channel 4 News: “long term prisoners get kudos for attacking people at the bottom of the hierarchy.”
Colin Hatch, 38, was jailed for life in 1994 after being convicted of killing a seven year old boy while on parole for a previous child sex attack.
The 35-year-old prisoner who has been arrested in connection with his murder is being held at the Full Sutton jail and will be moved to a police station at a later date, Humberside Police said. In a statement, the force said: “We recieved a call from the prison service at 1924 GMT reporting that there was an incident ongoing at the prison. At 2007 GMT we recieved a further call stating that a 38 year old man who had been involved in the incident had died.”
You find people who want to make a name for themselves by attacking sex offenders. Mark Leech
In 1992 Hatch assaulted an eight-year-old boy and was jailed for three years. He was released on parole in April 1993 and it was a year later that he was recieved the life sentence, for luring a boy back to his home and choking him to death.
The judge who sentenced him, Nina Lowry, said that in his case: “Life imprisonment should mean what it says, namely imprisonment for life.”
The fact that he killed a boy despite having a string of convictions for sex attacks behind him, prompted a review at the time of parole and probation for sex offenders.
Speaking to Channel 4 News he said that in high security prisons paedophiles are constantly at risk: “Sex offenders are vulnerable and this regularly happens. Long term prisoners like thos held at Full Sutton exist within a heirarchy with sex offenders at the bottom along with informants and ex police officers. They wallow in a cesspit at the bottom of this heirarchy while at the top are armed robbers and drug dealers.
“In that atmosphere you find people who want to make a name for themselves by attacking sex offenders.”
Prisoners such as Hatch can ask to be transferred into protective custody within a prison if they are worried about being attacked. But Mark Leach says even this isn’t enough to offer protection if someone is targeted.
He said: “People will ask to be put into protective custody in order to reach someone they want to kill. The prison service are in an impossible position. The prison governer could ignore a request but he would then be responsible if someone gets hurt.”
And according to Leech, even the prospect of a longer sentence won’t be a deterrent for people already serving life.
“Prisons like Full Sutton are for prisoners serving life sentences. These people think they have no future anyway, so 15 years on top of a 30 year sentence is irrelevant to them. It’s about surviving in an atmosphere where you get kudos for attacking someone at the bottom of the heirarchy,” he said.