This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. We have a tea bar in the visitors centre outside the prison for light refreshment before entry and a full tea bar inside the main hall. Over the years, Belmarsh, situated in Thamesmead,south-east London, has become one of the countrys most notorious jails and has been home to some of the nations most dangerous and high profile criminals. You must also write your own name and address on the back of the envelope. When it opened in 1991, Belmarsh became the first adult male prison built in London since Wormwood Scrubs in 1874. However it also operates as a local prison accepting different categories of prisoners from the Old Bailey and Magistrates' Courts in South East London. This information will help us make improvements to the website. Where is Belmarsh prison and who is held at the prison? Mental health issues are worsening in UK prisons, while a drug crisis is escalating around the synthetic cannabinoid Spice. Over the past 30 years, HMP Belmarsh has housed some of the country's most wicked criminals. Added information about secure video calling. Belmarsh prison has been criticised for confining its inmates in their cells for too long. Petitions were registered on receipt in a set of records now in HO 19. The Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) offers support, information and guidance about prison visits to friends and family. In September 2006, the number of such prisoners was 51. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Choudary spent time at HMP Belmarsh ahead of his release in 2018. The disgraced politician described Belmarsh in the book as a hell hole. The founder of the British Defence League and far right extremist real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was recently released from Belmarsh after serving half of his 19 week sentence for contempt of court. This includes pushchairs and car seats. Eight of the nine appellants were detained on the 19 th of December 2001. August 26, 2020 . "And I am sorry for wha I have done, sorry for the pain I have cause to the families and friends of Holly and Jessica, for the pain I have caused my family and friends, and for the pain I have caused the community of Soham.". Email: belmarsh@prisonadvice.org.uk. [12], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}512947N 00534E / 51.4964N 0.0929E / 51.4964; 0.0929. The train robber was sent to Belmarsh after he returned to the UK from Brazil in 2001, having escaped from Wandsworth prison in 1965. If you break the rules, your visit could be cancelled and you could be banned from visiting again. His transfer to Belmarsh was depicted as presenting a challenge for prison governor Rob Davis, forcing him into a delicate balancing act of maintaining peace among inmates while ensuring Robinsons safety. Aerial view of HM Prison Belmarsh (centre). It was particularly intended for prisoners regarded as a threat to national security. Londons first new mens prison for a century was designed with specific provisions for holding terrorists, including a bomb-proof tunnel to nearby Woolwich Crown Court. Despite going unmentioned, Assanges deteriorating health and the concerns of independent medical professionals about his effective solitary confinement in the healthcare unit hung silently over the programme. [4], In May 2007, there was a violent disturbance in the prison, Sky News reported. [5], In 2009, an archaeological dig on site led to the discovery of a 6,000-year-old trackway in the prison, the second oldest known wooden trackway in Northern Europe after the Sweet Track near Glastonbury.[6]. You will receive a notification when your request has been accepted. Belmarsh is running 1 family day session per month. Include the persons name and prisoner number (or date of birth) on the envelope. Something went wrong, please try again later. Davis tells Kemp, Any demonstration outside the prison puts my staff at risk. Doubtless this particular scene will have been watched with interest by thoseincluding yellow vest protesters from Francewho have attended recent rallies for Assange outside the prison. Visitors should arrive to the visitors centre to book in for a visit. Nearly one third of those leaving prison have nowhere to go and end up homeless, with some reoffending so they will have a place to sleep. Belmarsh is Britain's toughest jail and this is the first time Belmarsh's governors have allowed cameras. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. Mr Davis said that lists of other nominals who had frequent cell visits from other inmates and corruptors were also being drawn up. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Others concerned with prisoners rights can write and fax the Governor Claudia Stut at: HMP Belmarsh, Western Way, London SE28 OEB. The programme shows the friendly relations between governor Davis and Robinson, who spends his short time in Belmarsh in a relatively luxurious solitary suite and is released nine weeks early. Add your voice to our movement for change. Perhaps to deflect this question, the programme repeatedly portrayed Belmarsh as being equipped to take any and every kind of prisoner. Assange has now been moved to another part of the prison following protests from his legal team, campaign groups and, most strikingly, fellow prisoners. Jeffrey Archer - The former Conservative MP wrote about his time in Belmarsh in the first volume of A Prison Diary and used the setting extensively in his novel A Prisoner of Birth. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Upon his release, The Mirror reported Robinson saying he had been put in solitary confinement during his time in the unit. Browse HO 160 by date of appointment, transfer or dismissal of prison staff. When Aiden James, who suffers PTSD following his experiences in Syria, began self-harming again, Daly was shown struggling to find him a bed in the health unit. v3.0, registers of convicts in prison hulks 1818-1831 (ADM6), after-trial calendars of prisoners 1855-1931 (CRIM 9), Home Office calendars of prisoners 1868-1929 (HO 140), Prison Commission prison records 1880-1885 (PCOM 2), registers of criminal petitions 1797-1853 (HO 19), printed lists of prisoners tried at Newgate 1782-1853 (HO 77). The WikiLeaks founder has been kept at Belmarsh since May 2019 after he was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for skipping bail. Thamesmead We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Give us your feedback in this 2-minutes survey. Refreshments are available during your visit. But he only served half of his original sentence. Violence in adult prisons (13% in Belmarsh) is always much lower than juvenile units (74% in . The uprising that shook Nicaragua lasted roughly three months, resulted officially in 251 deaths (including 22 police officers; others put the total deaths as higher) and over 2,000 injured. Few prisons in Britain have such a notorious reputation as HMP Belmarsh, where criminals who are convicted at the Old Bailey are often sent. Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, "Law Courts and Courtrooms 1: The Buildings of the Criminal Law", Staff hurt in jail disturbance | Metro News, "London's earliest timber structure found during Belmarsh prison dig", "HMP/YOI Isis improving prison with many young men which must address violence and force", "Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale plead not guilty to Woolwich", "Ali Harbi Ali appears at Old Bailey over murder of Conservative MP Sir David Amess", "Sir David Amess: Man found guilty of murdering MP", "British MPs urge government to extradite Julian Assange to Sweden", "Priti Patel, hear this loud and clear: Julian Assange must not be handed over to the US | Duncan Campbell", "Motorist admits killing two people in Romford pile-up", "Soho nail bomber David Copeland sentenced for prison attack", "What happened to the 'Night Stalker' depicted in Manhunt after he was caught by Colin Sutton", "Wembley park killings: Danyal Hussein jailed for life for murdering sisters", "Serial killer Stephen Port's jail letters include boasts of bedding TV star", "Reading stabbings: Terror suspect Khairi Saadallah appears at Old Bailey", "Fights, revenge and jihadi neighbours - what life is like for Arena killer Hashem Abedi in Britain's toughest prison", "Manchester attack plotter Hashem Abedi refusing to participate in prison deradicalisation programme", "Lee Rigby killer Michael Adebowale in hospital with Covid-19", Abu Hamza: from Soho bouncer to hook-handed cleric of hate, "Sudesh Amman: Who was the Streatham attacker? This focus on the general population may have been aimed at normalising Belmarsh for the viewer, but it served to expose a wider social crisis. Other notable inmates include Delroy Grant, also known as the Nightstalker, a serial rapist who targeted elderly women in London, and David Copeland, a neo-Nazi militant who set off a series of nail bombs in the capital in the 1990s. Darbyshire suffocated her father, who suffered from multiple-sclerosis, in what she claimed was both a mercy killing and a suicide pact that she failed to follow up on. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is also imprisoned in Belmarsh after he was charged with 17 new counts of espionage for publishing classified documents in 2019. Someone will call you back within 24 hours. Enter your password to log in. Address: HMP Belmarsh Western Way Thamesmead London SE28 0EB Governor:Jenny Louis Visitors' Centre Telephone:020 8331 4682 International Committee of the Fourth International. Because of its high security status, he said, Youd think Belmarsh would be one of the jails youd be safe in Far from that.. HMP Belmarsh is a category A prison in Eastern London, south of the Thames. Jeffrey Archer, the former Parliament member who served four years in Belmarsh for perjury coined the name "Hellmarsh" in his prison diary series. With mental health issues spiralling, Daly and her staff were shown fighting a rear-guard action for prisoner health. Kemp tells his viewers, apparently without irony, that Belmarsh has so far kept Robinson free from publicity. The programme Charlie Pope signs up to is crushingly cynical, its founder declaring that People in prison are naturally entrepreneurial. Pope is removed from the course following his involvement in a fight. It allegedly "caused $1 billion in economic damages," and led to an economic collapse. It employs 6-10 people and has $1M-$5M of revenue. Within its general design, Belmarsh includes a dedicated High Security Unit (HSU), described as a prison within a prison. This has housed prisoners regarded as the greatest risk, including KGB operatives, al Qaeda members and leaders, and international drug lords involved in organised crime and money-laundering (one of whom is interviewed). A number of high profile terrorists have been held at the prison including: Finsbury Park imam Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was extradited to the US to face 11 counts of terrorism charges, Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi, Sudesh Amman - who was shot dead by police after stabbing two people in Streatham, Islamic extremist Anjem Choudary, and London Bridge knife attack killer Usman Khan. Historically not overcrowded, we now see more and more Category C prisons running overcrowded regimes. New powers to tackle small boats set to be announced next week, Elizabeth Hurley remembers cricketer Shane Warne on anniversary of his death, AI tools like ChatGPT could play role in government science minister, London buses: Annual journeys drop by 800 million since 2016, 300 new Ulez cameras rolled out but none in rebel boroughs, RAF jets scrambled after sonic boom over Leicestershire, Ex-serviceman turned traitor while consuming conspiracy theories, Berlin embassy spy denies existence of Russian handler, Embassy spy wanted to give employer a bit of a slap over treatment, court told, Top UK schools and educational centres to consider this year, Trio of Americans who tried to smuggle drugs through Heathrow jailed, What is the Willow Project? PATRICK KELLY: REM: Longford: Belmarsh: SEAMUS McARDLE: REM: Armagh: Belmarsh: BRIAN McHUGH: REM: Fermanagh: Belmarsh: JAMES MURPHY: REM: England: Belmarsh: MICHAEL . At a time when Belmarsh is under renewed scrutiny as Britains Guantanamo, holding the worlds highest profile political prisoner, Julian Assange, the ITV programme was intended to serve as a public relations piece. Telephone: 020 8331 4400 Belmarsh is only 18% overcrowded compared to Pentonville's 30%, Leeds's 56%, and Shrewsbury's 86%. The criminal, dubbed Britain's most violent prisoner, has spent periods of time in Belmarsh since being sentenced for armed robbery in 1976. Belmarsh is a category A prison in south-east London. All rights reserved. Searches for the records in this sectionbegin inour catalogue. Updated visiting information in line with new local restriction tiers. IBTimes UK looks at some of the most infamous criminals who have served at her Majesty's Pleasure in Belmarsh. In addition, Belmarsh is a local prison accepting different categories of prisoners from primarily the Central Criminal Court ( Old Bailey) and Magistrates' Courts in South East London. Warders showed Kemp the daily conflict lists, showing the assessed threat of violence between prisoners. One gym focuses on physical education courses and the other gym focuses on recreation, with use of a sports hall and a fitness room. Likewise, double child-murderer Ian Huntley, Britain's "most violent prisoner" Charles Bronson, Jo Cox killer Thomas Mair, and the Black Cab Rapist John Worboys have all done a stint at HMP Belmarsh. Nevertheless, despite his stated reluctance to give a platform to the fascist thug, Kemp felt he had to ask Robinson about the protest called by his supporters outside the prison. : Belmarsh is a notoriously harsh maximum-security prison full of violent offenders and prisoners convicted under anti-terrorism laws, one of many reasons that Assange supporters have so vigorously opposed his confinement there. Belmarsh Prison is a company that operates in the Government industry. Read section 5 of our guide tocriminal transportation for further help. There are several ways you can keep in touch with someone during their time at Belmarsh. There are strict controls on what you can take into Belmarsh. It will only take one of the brothers to change their life for them all to do it, they say. ", "Finsbury Park accused Darren Osborne appears at Old Bailey", "Darren Osborne jailed for life for Finsbury Park terrorist attack", "Finsbury Park mosque attacker fears eye loss after prison stabbing", "Essex lorry deaths: Truck driver Mo Robinson 'haunted' by memory of his crime", "Migrant deaths driver to sell 44 and watch to compensate victims' families", "Renegade ex-MI6 officer will not be prosecuted", "Sarah Everard murder: Wayne Couzens given whole-life sentence", Ministry of Justice pages on HMP Belmarsh, HMP Belmarsh HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HM_Prison_Belmarsh&oldid=1139952723, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 18:02. It first opened on April 2 1991 and is most commonly used in high-profile cases, particularly those concerning national security. Updated visiting information in line with coronavirus restrictions. Transferred to Belmarsh following a riot in his local prison, Waters is made to wear distinctive escape-list garb. Category D prisons tend not to be overcrowded. The criminal, dubbed Britains most violent prisoner, has spent numerous periods of time in Belmarsh since being sentenced for armed robbery in 1976 bar a brief period of freedom. HM Prison Belmarsh is an example of a Category A prison. This can take longer depending on individual cases. Belmarsh prison has lost almost a fifth of its key staff in three years Credit: PA:Press Association. Pages in category "Inmates of HM Prison Belmarsh" The following 12 pages are in this category, out of 12 total. To book legal visits via Videolink, email videolinkbelmarsh@justice.gov.uk. All visitors, aged 16 or older must prove their identity before entering the prison. Often the best places to search for prison registers after 1878 are local county archives. We have strong links with Spark Inside and SwitchBack who offer mentoring and coaching services for young prisoners in our care. Help us to improve this page. Michael Adebolajo, who killed British Army solider Lee Rigby in 2013, is currently behind bars at Belmarsh. Belmarsh has the largest healthcare service of any UK prison, with Kemp describing prison doctor Rachel Daly as his hero. Daly spoke of the prisons healthcare as duplicating the NHSa claim belied by the documentarys footage. The clear aim is to suggest that Assange, unlike Robinson, has little public support. on underused land within the perimeter wall of Belmarsh Prison. Fax: 020 8331 4401 The closest railway stations are Woolwich Arsenal and Plumstead. On January 2, remand prisoner Liridon Saliuka was found dead in his cell, with relatives challenging official claims that he died from self-inflicted injuries (a fact not referred to by Kemp). Ronnie Biggs - Ronald Arthur "Ronnie" Biggs was one of the Great Train Robbers and lived as a fugitive for 36 years, mainly in Brazil, after he escaped from Wandsworth prison in 1965. Search by name for licences of parole issued to female convicts (PCOM 4) on Ancestry.co.uk (). The most recent report by the chief inspector of prisons Peter Clarke, published last year, concluded that staff were doing a reasonable job but that Belmarsh needed support from the Ministry of Justice. Focus was placed in particular on staff interacting sympathetically with Claire Darbyshire, the prisons only transgender inmate who was sent to a male prison because she was pre-operative. Belmarsh opened in 1991 and contains a prison within a prison high-security unit that holds some of the countrys most dangerous inmates. Julian won the first stage to an appeal to fight extradition to the United States, where he has espionage charges. For further information about what to do when you are worried or concerned about someone in prison visit the Prisoners Families helpline website.