By Emmanuel Dominic 
Prisoner Gets Life for Inmate Murder
Several cases of inmates being jailed for life for murdering fellow prisoners have recently been reported:
- HMP Fosse Way, UK (May 2025): Two men, Ashirie Smith (19) and Thierry Robinson (21), were jailed for the death of Mahir Abdulrahman at the new HMP Fosse Way prison. Smith was sentenced to life with a minimum of 17.5 years for murder, while Robinson received 11 years for manslaughter. Abdulrahman was found in his cell after being attacked by the pair, who allegedly kicked and stamped on his head and neck.
- HMP Nottingham, UK (May 2025): Andrew Thorpe (38) was sentenced to a minimum of 35 years in prison for beating fellow inmate Jonathon Thornton to death in a prison shower block in June 2024. Thorpe was awaiting trial for attempted murder when the attack occurred. The court heard Thorpe attacked Thornton after confronting him about alleged racist remarks.
- HMP Maidstone, UK (March 2025): Sasan Rabat (27) was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 19 years for murdering Stefan Adi in his cell in December 2021. Rabat used improvised weapons, including broken furniture, to inflict catastrophic injuries on Adi.
- Idaho Correctional Center, USA (April 2025): James Johnson (33) was sentenced to life in prison, eligible for parole after 35 years, for the December 2023 murder of his cellmate, Milo Warnock (45). Johnson beat Warnock to death in their high-security cell.
- HMP Whitemoor, UK (April 2025): Convicted murderer John Mansfield (63), who was serving a life sentence, was killed by a fellow inmate in this high-security jail. An investigation is ongoing, and a 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Mansfield himself had received a second life sentence in 2014 for stabbing another inmate.
- California Correctional Institution, USA (May 2025): Rapper Tory Lanez was reportedly stabbed 14 times in a prison attack. Santino Casio (41), a convicted killer serving a life sentence, has been named as the suspect.
These incidents highlight the ongoing challenges of violence within prison systems globally.
