A security firm has been fined £2.25m after a custody officer died following a courtroom attack during the restraint of a prisoner.

Lorraine Barwell, 54, was kicked twice, once in the body and once in the head, at Blackfriars Crown Court in 2015. She died from brain injuries caused by the second blow.

The custody officer had worked for security firm Serco for 10 years when the attack took place.

Following the attack on Barwell, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation into Serco Limited which found the company had failed to properly analyse risk intelligence on prisoners, and communicate risks and safety precautions to staff.

Lorraine Barwell

Lorraine Barwell had worked for security firm Serco for 10 years

Source: Shutterstock

The investigation also identified a  failure to have sufficient procedures in place and follow them, and continued failures over a period of more than three years, including to adequately staff court activities, assess risks of violence and aggression, and manage working hours.

Such failings were flagged by HM Prisons Inspectorate, the Ministry of Justice, HSE inspectors and Serco staff.

A separate incident in 2016 saw another member of staff rammed against the wall and strangled in the Woolwich Court annex. The alarm button was pressed but there were no staff manning the annex to respond. There should have been 32 of Serco Limited’s officers at court that day; in the event there were 22.

The Hampshire-based company pleaded guilty to charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It was fined £2.25m and ordered to pay £433,596.07 in costs at an Old Bailey hearing.

HSE inspector Helen Donnelly said: ‘Serco drastically failed in their duties to protect both Lorraine Barwell and other staff over a sustained period. It is not common to have a case covering such an extended period, but it appeared that Serco Limited were not learning from their mistakes.

‘Lorraine Barwell and her colleagues were just doing their job and should have been protected from harm. Had Serco carried out their legal duties, these incidents could have been prevented.’

 

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