Seven prison staff deny charges over inmate’s fatal assault

Seven members of staff at Vantaa Prison deny charges relating to a young inmate’s death after he was assaulted for nearly two days in a transit cell, Yle reports. In police interviews, guards said they had not noticed the violence.

The man, who was in his twenties, was found dead in a six-person cell in January 2022. Two inmates in the cell had beaten and raped him for almost two days before killing him. They were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The trial of seven prison staff members began on Monday at the Itä-Uusimaa District Court. The defendants, five of whom are current or former guards, face charges including breach of official duty or negligent breach of official duty. All have denied the charges.

In interviews, guards said they had seen no signs of violence or unusual activity. Some prisoners told police they had heard banging and noise from the cell the day before the killing and reported it to an experienced guard. The guard said he would have gone to check in person if he had heard the noise.

Other guards said they had not seen injuries on the victim and that night-time monitoring was difficult when no disturbance was reported. One said the cell was dark when he and a colleague passed toilet paper through the door on the evening before the victim died, and they could not see inside.

The guard responsible for the victim on the night he died described the killing as “a sum of unfortunate coincidences” and said staff would certainly have helped if the victim had reported the violence.