Five Prison Officers Suspended Over Woolwich Murder's 'Attack In Jail'

Five prison officers have been suspended while police examine claims one of the two Woolwich murder suspects was injured while being restrained.

Michael Adebolajo, accused of killing Fusilier Lee Rigby in May, reportedly lost two front teeth in an incident at London's Belmarsh Prison on Wednesday.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) denied any wrongdoing by officers and said all inmates get equal treatment.

It said a prisoner had been restrained by staff using approved techniques.

The organisation has criticised the Ministry of Justice for failing to take action to stop what it called "sensationalist reporting" of the incident.

The POA's chairman, Peter McParlin, said: "We are absolutely confident, having spoken to our members, that they will have been found to have done absolutely nothing wrong at all."

He added: "The fact that that prisoner has a certain amount of notoriety makes no difference to them, because they're professionals, and they deal with every prisoner in the same way, using control and restraint, which are officially accepted methods to be used within prison, when dealing with prisoners on occasion, that need to be restrained."

A prison service spokesman said that five members of staff had been suspended "while the police investigation is ongoing".

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that an allegation of assault was passed to the Metropolitan Police Service on 17 July by Belmarsh Prison. An investigation has been started."