Lancashire Police and the Ministry of Justice have both confirmed the attack took place – and when it was reported – but neither have explained why there might be a gap in two weeks.

The victim was first attacked on September 9 and was moved to a separate wing of the hospital for her safety before the attack on September 24, it was claimed.

It is also claimed that a request to move the prisons for security reasons, made between the two attacks, was not recognized.

A family member said Preston Blog: “He had to return to HMP Garth and he is afraid for his life.

“The first attack took place in a normal wing. He was then moved to a vulnerable prison wing where he should have been safe, but it is clear they are failing to keep prisoners safe.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said Preston Blog: “Violence is not tolerated in prisons and anyone responsible will be punished.

“It would be inappropriate to comment further while police are investigating.”

A police spokesperson said: “We were contacted on October 8 about an assault at HMP Garth. Investigations are ongoing. »

Hot water is mixed with sugar to deliberately worsen the effects of the burn. As a method of attack on inmates, it has become more prevalent over the past five years. Access to sugar has also been restricted in a number of prisons, including HMP Garth, partly because of the way it can be used to make illicit alcohol.

The most recent inspection of HMP Garth, carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons in November 2022, revealed a number of key concerns. These include insufficient efforts to ensure the safety of prisoners upon their arrival in prison, the excessive availability of drugs, the passivity or distance of staff towards prisoners and the functioning ineffective request and complaint systems.

In this report, investigations concluded that too many prisoners did not feel safe and that some incidents within HMP Garth were classified as “serious”.

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