Convicted murderer knocked prison officer unconscious at Cambridgeshire jail

A convicted murderer who knocked a prison officer unconscious at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire has been sentenced.

Christopher Walters, 35, is in jail after being convicted in 2013 of murdering a man in London in May the previous year.

He punched the prison officer in the face twice in an unprovoked attack at the prison near March on 16 January, 2023.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment and discharged the same day.

He initially denied assault causing actual bodily harm to the prison officer but pleaded guilty during a trial at Cambridge Crown Court on 24 September.

He was sentenced to 13 months in prison at the same hearing, to be served concurrently to his existing sentence.

Det Con Emma Purser said: “This was a completely unprovoked attack that left a man needing hospital treatment.

“Although the sentence is concurrent, it will be taken into account when Walters becomes eligible for parole.

“Prison officers do a difficult job in challenging circumstances. Attacks like this are completely unacceptable.”