A group of teenagers appeared in court today accused of rioting at Shropshire’s young offenders’ institution.
Nine youths, aged between 15 and 17, and 18-year-old Bruce Lee Shone, of Wellesley Street, Stoke-on-Trent, were at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court charged with taking part in a prison mutiny at Stoke Heath YOI, near Market Drayton.
The incident is alleged to have occurred on October 1 last year, leaving four prison officers injured and effectively shutting down one of the wings at the facility.
Some of the defendants were brought into court from custody this morning.
Others, who have finished their sentences since the alleged incident happened and were no longer in custody, including Shone, travelled to Shrewsbury for the hearing.
Reading out the serious charge, Mr Peter Sutton, prosecuting, said: “At Stoke Heath in the county of Shropshire, being detained in lawful custody while on the premises of Stoke Heath Young Offenders Institution, took part in a prison mutiny in that you engaged in a conduct with one or more other persons, which was intended to further a common purpose of overthrowing lawful authority in that prison.”
One of the accused, a 17-year-old, faces an additional variation to the mutiny charge.
Magistrates decided to send the case to Shrewsbury Crown Court where the defendants will appear on Monday.
Those teenagers currently not serving custodial sentences were released on bail with a condition of residency.
Another inmate, 18-year-old Paul Nicholas Bignall, who is now at Glen Parva YOI, Leicestershire, was due to appear this afternoon to answer the same charge.
Earlier this year figures revealed the institution had seen the greatest increase in violence nationwide.
The number of incidents at Stoke Heath has soared from three in 1996 to 489 in 2005, totalling 2,165 over the nine year period - 306 of which have been attacks on prison officers.
The YOI was built in 1964 as a category C adult prison, but was converted two years later to a borstal for young offenders and currently has a capacity for 690 inmates.
By Andy Rogers
2 Comments
I hope that additional time is added to their sentences and that ALL of their privilledges are taken away for the duration of their sentence as they are in the YOI for a reason, not a damm holiday!
Punishment needs to mean punishment, not a doss at the expense of the tax payers!
I agree with abi’s comments however this will not happen they will get all there privilledges and this is down to management and this is why stoke heath is becoming out of control and not a safe place to work.