Ian Ochieng

Ian Ochieng, a vicious rapist incarcerated at HMP Long Lartin in Evesham, Worcestershire, carried out a shocking assault on two prison officers in February 2023. While serving a 12-year custodial sentence for prior sexual offences, Ochieng approached officers Lewis Heal and Michael O'Hare with a bucket containing a noxious mixture of urine and faeces from his cell. Without warning, he poured the contents over the officers, causing the substance to enter their mouths and necessitating immediate medical attention.

The incident, captured on CCTV footage, was heard at Worcester Crown Court on 4 November 2024. Prosecutor John Brotherton detailed how the officers showered immediately after the attack but were taken to hospital for precautionary injections against potential diseases. The assault had a profound psychological impact on the victims; Mr O'Hare reported feeling unclean and unable to embrace his wife and baby for several days, while constantly fearing future assaults. Mr Heal described the event as having an extreme impact on his well-being.

Ochieng, appearing via video link from HMP Wakefield where he had been transferred, pleaded guilty to two charges of administering a poison or noxious thing with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy. Judge Seanin Gilmore sentenced him to two years' imprisonment, to be served consecutively after his existing term. The judge highlighted the seriousness of the offence, noting the two victims and their need for medical treatment, describing it as a 'thoroughly unpleasant experience' and emphasising that it clearly crossed the custody threshold.

Prior to this incident, Ochieng had been convicted at Bristol Crown Court in 2020 for raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in Bristol city centre in 2019. Avon and Somerset Police described him at the time as 'every woman's worst nightmare' due to the brutality of the attacks. He received a 16-year extended sentence, comprising 12 years in custody and four and a half years on licence, with the terms running concurrently.

The case was reported by Leda Reynolds, Court and Crime Reporter for the Evesham Journal, underscoring the ongoing challenges faced by prison staff in high-security facilities like the Category A HMP Long Lartin.