Lag who posed for selfie in stolen riot gear with fellow inmate during Birmingham prison riot named as yob who stashed 1kg of coke at daughter’s picnic
Carl Brookes grinned in a red vest with finger-flicking pal Ross Queen as jail spiralled out of control
TWO lags who posed in stolen helmets for a prison riot selfie are named today.
Carl Brookes, 32, grinned in a red vest as Birmingham jail spiralled out of control on Friday.
He stashed a kilo of cocaine worth £185,000 in a picnic bag for a day out with his three-year-old daughter.
Brookes, who used drug cash to buy a £600,000 home in Worcestershire was jailed in August for eight years, seven months.
Pal Ross Queen, 30, gives the finger in the pic.
Brookes’ brother Michael said the photo was “banter”.
Some lags claimed Brookes saved lives by putting out a riot fire.
Trouble apparently flared when a mob surrounded a guard and con arguing over a cancelled X-ray and stole his keys.
An inmate from inside P Wing said the prisoners had sets of keys - taken from guards - and he claimed everything had been "smashed up."
He added: "It started with seven of them on the netting and it just escalated from there.
"Everything is getting smashed up though. The windows are being smashed up and fires have been set.
"I've never seen anything like this before. The biggest issue for most of us is the lack of exercise. They have stopped from using the gym and from having any exercise.
"When we were told this morning that we were not getting exercise everyone went mad. They have had enough.
"They cancel gym all the time, the showers are cold, the food is crap, the heating is never on and we never get our mail on time.
";We saw some guards near the doors with shields and helmets earlier but they all ran off.
"It means the prisoners have been able to move between the two wings. I would say there are about 600 of us and no guards at all. We are in control."
Dramatic footage, apparently from inside the jail, shows massive flames rising as inmates set fires in parts of the wings.
According to frantic relatives, prisoners were "gasping for breath and screaming for help", as smoke filled corridors and cells.
One relative said: “My brother is screaming for help. The smoke is that thick on the landing that he can’t breathe.
“He said it is absolute chaos. He is screaming for help and they are not doing anything. People have been locked in their cells for hours with no food.”
The relative also claimed that the notorious Birmingham rival street gangs had been fighting in the prison.
RELATED STORIES
“People are badly injured in there,” she added. “I am worried sick, like many other families.
“The prisoners are fearing for their lives. They need help urgently.
“They are barricading themselves in because they are scared of the other inmates. They need fresh air. They need to get them out.”
Order was restored after 12 hours.
Managing director for G4S custodial and detention, Jerry Petherick, said: “The four affected wings in disturbances at HMP Birmingham have now been recovered and secured.
“One prisoner was injured in today’s disturbances and he has gone to outside hospital to be treated for a broken jaw and eye socket. His family has been contacted and informed.
“The affected wings are being inspected to determine the extent of damage to prison property.
“It has been an immensely challenging day for both our team at HMP Birmingham and colleagues from across the Prison Service, who have shown great resilience and courage.
“They have worked tirelessly and I want to pay tribute to their hard work and thank the emergency services for their support on site.
“The prisoners behind today’s disorder showed a callous disregard for the safety of prisoners and staff and we will work hard to identify them and support West Midlands Police to push for the strongest possible sanctions in court.
Yesterday 240 inmates were moved from the 1,400-capacity jail.
An ex-warden said drug Black Mamba is dried on kids’ drawings then smuggled in.
Seventy drones are believed to have got through in three months.