Three inmates have been given additional prison time for their role in an attack on a prison officer at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, resulting in the officer’s deteriorating mental health and subsequent death. Calvin Bishop was supervising inmates when he was punched in the face, leading to severe emotional distress. Ralique Young, Zeshaun Daley, and Clayton Barker were sentenced to extended prison terms on top of their existing life sentences in relation to the assault.
Following the attack, Mr. Bishop experienced withdrawal, panic attacks, and insomnia, which ultimately contributed to his passing. An official inquest into his death is pending. Young admitted to assault causing actual bodily harm and assaulting an emergency worker, while Barker pleaded guilty to one count of ABH and Daley denied the charges initially but was later found guilty after a trial in February. The attack, led by Young on August 22, 2023, escalated when Daley and Barker joined in, striking Mr. Bishop while he was crouched down.
Despite another officer’s intervention, the assault continued until Pava spray was ultimately used to diffuse the situation. Mr. Bishop sustained a fractured knuckle as a result of the attack. Young received an additional sentence of three years and six months, Barker was sentenced to an extra three years and one month, and Daley was given an additional four years and two months for their involvement in the violence. Detective Constable Emma Purser condemned the attack as “completely unacceptable” and emphasized the severe mental impact it had on Mr. Bishop, as described by his grief-stricken mother.
In her statement, Mr. Bishop’s mother detailed the devastating toll the attack took on her son, causing him to isolate himself from loved ones and suffer from deteriorating mental health until his tragic passing. Describing her son’s aspirations to work in law enforcement, she lamented that he would never have the opportunity to pursue his dreams due to the cowardly assault he endured. HMP Whitemoor, where the incident occurred, houses a population of up to 458 adult male prisoners with the majority serving lengthy sentences
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