A convicted burglar who was left wheelchair-bound and 'unable to work' after being stabbed 16 times whilst working in a prison canteen is suing the Ministry of Justice for a massive £5 million in compensation.
But government lawyers say that because burglar Steven Wilson, 36, had 'next to no history' of having earned an honest penny in his life, he should not get the millions he is claiming.
Wilson suffered injuries including a torn liver, fractured spine, and lacerated spinal cord when convicted murderer Patrick Chandler attacked him 'out-of-the-blue' in July 2018 with a nine-inch knife while they both worked in the kitchen at HMP Chelmsford.
He later sued, claiming the MoJ failed to adequately assess whether violent lifer Chandler was safe for kitchen work, given the opportunity to access knives and sharp items.
The Ministry of Justice acknowledged that Wilson was entitled to compensation and took responsibility for the attack.
But its lawyers say that, because he had a 20-year criminal record, with 'next to no history' of having earned an honest penny, a £5 million payout would be 'out of accord with what society would perceive as being reasonable'.
Sitting at the High Court last week, Judge Melissa Clarke was told that Wilson, of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, was on remand for an aggravated burglary—of which he was later convicted—when he was attacked by Chandler.
At the time, his attacker was only 24 days into a life sentence imposed for the brutal knife murder of John Comer, 45, in Lawford, Essex, in December 2017.
The formerly 'fit and fearless' Wilson recalled Chandler 'looking at him strangely' before he lashed out as if he were 'looking straight through him'.
Despite suffering several serious injuries, he survived after being stabbed in the stomach with such power that it lifted him off the ground.
In November 2018, Chandler was given an extra life sentence with a 10-year minimum term after he later confessed to trying to kill Wilson.
Chandler's overall risk rating had been assessed by the MoJ as 'medium', court documents disclosed, despite him having allegedly told his supervisor two weeks before the attack that 'he had fantasised about violence and what he was going to do to people and about making weapons'.
Although the MoJ has subsequently acknowledged responsibility for the attack, the two parties are battling in court about Wilson's rightful compensation sum.
This man might not have earned an honest penny in his entire life, but he was being held by HM Prison Service, and such things like this should not be happening. His criminal record might have included violence but that doesn't mean he should not be paid out by the Ministry of Justice. However, perhaps some of that money should go to some of his victims as well, and MoJ failed in their duty of care.
This man has a right to sue, although I do disagree with the amount. I doubt he will even get close to the amount he's claiming.
He might have been a naughty lad, but if you do the crime, you have to do the time. However, nobody deserves to be stabbed, regardless, and he might still be haunted by the attack, but so are the people whose homes he robbed.
However, this is incomprehensible. The other guy was working in the kitchens, which is one of the better jobs if you're in prison, and it's better than mopping floors. How can a guy just 23 days into his sentence for a brutal knife attack find himself with a plumb job and have a knife put in his hands? He deserved to be punished heavily for that.
