From Damien Bendall, to David Taylor - the prison attacks that shocked Chronicle Live readers

The violent criminals who have been locked up in North East jails and carried out attacks behind bars

by · ChronicleLive

Some of the most violent criminals have been - or still are - locked up in prisons across the North East. No longer able to cause misery to innocent members of the public, these offenders have continued to commit attacks behind bars.

While serving sentences in jail, there have been many offenders have went on to commit further attacks - many of which happened in our region. While doing time, some have even been involved in murders, or attempted murders. Thankfully, when further violent offences are committed in prison, judges regularly hand out severe punishments.

Two of these offenders havee been given whole life orders - meaning they will likely never again get a taste of freedom. Here are some of the instances of prison attacks that have been reported in Chronicle Live over past months.

Damien Bendall

Quadruple murderer and rapist Damien Bendall tried to kill a fellow prison inmate in a brutal hammer attack while locked up in a North East jail. Bendall knocked the inmate immediately unconscious after slamming a claw hammer into his head, and continued to rain down blows as the victim lay motionless.
When stunned prison staff restrained him and asked why he carried out the attack, Bendall replied: "I don't know." However, a court heard that Bendall had planned the attempted murder and carried it out in order to get transferred to a segregation unit.
Due to the ferocity of the attack, a prison officer believed the man was dead. But the victim survived and was taken to Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary to be treated for two skull fractures. He remained in hospital for four nights before returning to prison.
Bendall was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term for 15 years. Due to the whole life order he is already serving, the judge said it is likely he will never be released.(Image: PA)

Mark Hall and Scott Steanson

A violent disturbance at HMP Northumberland jail ended with an inmate suffering multiple stab wounds. The prisoner was targeted in his cell in a pre-planned and co-ordinated attack by a group of men.
A court heard some of them had armed themselves with weapons, including tuna tins in a sock, and a makeshift knife was found afterwards. Mark Hall, Scott Steanson and Jack Miles were given prison sentences for their roles in it.
Hall was jailed for 22 months. Steanson got three years and three months. Miles got 23 months.

Robert Smith

A heroin dealer attacked two prison guards at a North East prison when they went to search his cell. Robert Smith, who had an iPhone stashed in his cell, lashed out and assaulted the two prison officers, biting one of them on the hand.
A court heard the officer who was bitten had to undergo tests for HIV and hepatitis following the incident. Smith, who was serving a nine year prison sentence for conspiracy to supply heroin, had 30 weeks added on to his sentence.(Image: Google Maps)

David Taylor

David Taylor was given a whole life order for his involvement in the prison cell murder of a child killer. Convicted killers Mark Fellows, 45, Lee Newell, 57, and David Taylor, 64, stabbed Kyle Bevan to death at high-security HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire last November before tucking him up in bed and leaving him to bleed out.
The court heard it is not known “who did what” inside the cells, but that Bevan was likely held by his arms while being stabbed 25 times with at least two weapons. The court heard the three defendants left the cell less than five minutes later “as if nothing had happened”.(Image: Greater Manchester Police)