Lag wins battle to wear a BALACLAVA in jail – despite wearing it to attack three warders
Prison staff have been warned it will upset convicted kidnapper Xavier Christopher if the disguise - which he made from a T-shirt - is taken away
PRISON officers have been told to let a lag who attacked three staff while wearing a mask KEEP the disguise in his cell.
Convicted kidnapper Xavier Christopher, 20, put two workers in hospital after he made the balaclava from a T-shirt.
It left two staff needing hospital treatment and Christopher sent to a segregation block.
But last week officers learned of plans to move the dangerous con back to a standard wing at Feltham Young Offenders’ Institute, West London.
And they were stunned when they were handed a string of staggering “do’s and don’ts” in readiness for his return.
Among them were orders not to “stare at him or hold eye contact for too long”.
And they were warned not to be “forceful or overly authoritative” or call him “dangerous” while he was in earshot.
Female officers have also been asked to “take more of a lead” with Christopher because he “engages better" with women.
But the advice has sparked fury among staff dealing with the thug, who is serving eight years for torturing his victim by carving letters into his arm with a knife.
Incredibly, staff were also warned they should not take away Christopher's mask when he returns to the wing.
Sources said experts suggested the policy because they fear Christopher would get upset and make ANOTHER if officers seized it.
Instead he must keep it in an “agreed location” in his cell while staff must try to be “collaborative and supportive” at all times.
One source told The Sun: “Part of a prison officer’s job is to help rehabilitate prisoners - it is not to appease them."
It is understood the plan is yet to be rubber-stamped and could yet be ditched when officials meet next week to discuss Christopher’s future.
He has been in segregation since December 17, when he launched his attack.
It eventually took a further six officers to bring him under control.
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Mike Rolfe, Chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, blasted: "Ensuring good discipline is instilled into every custodial environment is essential to maintaining a safe and decent workplace.
"Allowing prisoners to keep instruments of crime and terror such as masks undermines the basic principles of security and control and makes the job of a prison officer almost impossible, not to mention damages the credibility of the Prison Service as a whole."
The Prison Service declined to comment.