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HMP Belmarsh

Aerial view of HM Prison Belmarsh (centre). To the left isHMP Isis, to the right isHMP Thameside
Location	Western Way,Thamesmead, London,SE28 0EB
Security class	Adult Male/Category A
Capacity	792
Population	675 (as of August 2021)
Opened	1991; 34 years ago (1991)
Managed by	HM Prison Services
Governor	Jenny Louis
Website	Belmarsh at justice.gov.uk

His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is aCategory A men's prison inThamesmead,southeast London, England. The prison is used for high-profile cases, particularly those concerning national security. Within the grounds is the High Security Unit (HSU), which consists of 48 single cells. It is run byHis Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been called "Britain'sGuantanamo Bay" due to the long-term detention of terrorism suspects without charge.^[1] Considered the toughest prison in the UK, Belmarsh is also notoriously known as "Hellmarsh" owing to the high number ofphysical and authority abuses reported by both the prison's inmates (including former politicianJeffrey Archer, who coined the name and was imprisoned there for four years forperjury), and byhuman rights activists.^[2]

Belmarsh Prison was built on part of the East site of the formerRoyal Arsenal inWoolwich, and became operational on 2 April 1991. It adjoinsWoolwich Crown Court.^[3]

In 1991, the Double A Cat prisoner armed robber Ronnie Field, an associate of London gangland bossJoey Pyle, was the first person to be held in Belmarsh's High Security Unit, shortly followed by members of the Arif firm and those convicted of the £10 million Heathrow airport diamond heist.^[4]

Between 2001 and 2002, Belmarsh Prison was used to detain a number of people indefinitely without charge or trial under the provisions ofPart 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, leading it to be called the "British version of Guantanamo Bay".^[5] TheLaw Lords later ruled inA v Secretary of State for the Home Dept that such imprisonment was discriminatory and against theHuman Rights Act 1998.^[6]

It is often used for the detention of prisoners for terrorist-related offences. In September 2006, 51 such prisoners were held.^[7]

In 2009, an archaeological dig on the site led to the discovery of a 6,000-year-old trackway, the oldest known wooden trackway in northern Europe with the exception of theSweet Track nearGlastonbury.^[8]

In November 2009, an inspection report from theChief Inspector of Prisons criticised the "extremely high" amount of force used to control inmates.^[9] The report also stated that an unusually high number of prisoners had reported being intimidated or victimised by staff.

In 2010,HMP IsisYoung Offenders Institution was opened within the perimeter wall.^[10]

Belmarsh is a Category A Prison holding inmates from all overEngland and Wales. It also houses other categories of prisoners from primarily the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) and Magistrates' Courts in South East London as well as Crown and Magistrates' Courts in South West Essex. Accommodation at the prison is a mixture of approximately 60% multi-occupancy cells and 40% single cells, distributed mainly across four residential units.^[11]

Inmates at Belmarsh are offered access to education, workshops^[11] and two gyms. The gym staff have a partnership withCharlton Athletic F.C. to deliverFA accredited coaching courses for prisoners.^[12]

A listener scheme for prisoners at risk from suicide or self-harm is in operation as is a support group providing advice on immigration law for foreign national prisoners.^[11]

Jenny Louis, governor of HM Prison Belmarsh, Britain’s first female black governor accused of bullying staff. The outcome of the investigation and any subsequent actions taken regarding these allegations have not been reported.^[13]

• Ali Harbi Ali,^[14] murdered MPDavid Amess^[15]
• Paul 'Des' Ballard,^[16] television presenter, caused death by dangerous driving, and various other crimes including rape
• Kyle Clifford,^[17] raped and murdered his ex-girlfriend and also murdered her mother and sister in July 2024.
• David Copeland,^[18]neo-Nazi who bombed a gay pub, Brixton Market and Brick Lane
• Louis De Zoysa,^[19] shot dead an on-duty police sergeant at Croydon police station in September 2020.
• Delroy Grant,^[20] the "Night Stalker", a serial rapist and burglar, with perhaps over 100 offences
• Danyal Hussein,^[21] murdered two sisters in a London park
• Stephen Port,^[22] the "Grindr Killer",serial killer andserial rapist
• Axel Rudakubana,^[23] convicted of possessing terrorist material and ricin, also murdered 3 children and attempted to murder 10 others in the2024 Southport stabbings
• Khairi Saadallah,^[24] stabbed three people to death in a Reading park, seriously injured others

• Hashem Abedi^[25] (moved toHM Prison Frankland)^[26]
• Michael Adebowale^[27][28] (moved toBroadmoor Hospital)^[29]
• Jonathan Aitken^[30]
• Abu Hamza al-Masri^[31] (sentenced to life imprisonment in theUnited States. Incarcerated atADX Florence)
• Sudesh Amman^[32]
• Jeffrey Archer^[33]
• Julian Assange,^[34] accused by the United States of espionage.^[35]
• Ronnie Biggs^[33]
• Charles Bronson^[33]
• David Carrick^[36] (moved toHM Prison Full Sutton)^[37]
• Anjem Choudary^[38]
• Wayne Couzens^[39] (moved toHM Prison Frankland)
• Richard Huckle (later moved to HM Prison Full Sutton, where he was murdered)^[40][41]
• Ian Huntley^[33] (moved to HM Prison Frankland in 2008)
• Daniel Khalife,^[42] (moved to HM Prison Frankland)^[43]
• Usman Khan^[44]
• Denis MacShane^[45]
• Thomas Mair^[46] (moved to HM Prison Frankland)^[47]
• Jordan McSweeney^[48] (moved toHM Prison Long Lartin)^[49]
• Darren Osborne, murdered one person and attempted murder of others by driving into them^[50][51] (moved to HM Prison Full Sutton)^[52]
• Maurice Robinson^[53] (moved toHM Prison Lowdham Grange)^[54]
• Tommy Robinson,^[33]anti-Islam campaigner andfar-right activist
• Urfan Sharif,^[55][56] (moved to HM Prison Frankland)^[57]
• Richard Tomlinson^[58]
• John Worboys^[33] (moved toHM Prison Wakefield)

• Ministry of Justice pages on HMP BelmarshArchived 15 February 2012 at theWayback Machine
• HMP Belmarsh – HM Inspectorate of Prisons Reports

51°29′47″N0°05′34″E / 51.4964°N 0.0929°E /51.4964; 0.0929

• HM Prison Belmarsh
• Men's prisons
• 1991 establishments in England
• Prisons completed in the 1990s

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