Stephen Lawrence murder suspect Jamie Acourt battered in prison ‘revenge attack’ by hulking South London inmate just days in to nine year stretch
STEPHEN Lawrence murder suspect Jamie Acourt was left reeling after being battered by an inmate in prison.
Acourt, 42, was punched to the floor by a black inmate just days into his drug-plot sentence at HMP Wandsworth, South London.
The thug had been jailed last week for nine years for masterminding a £3million drugs plot.
Last night sources named his jail attacker as hulking con Tyrone Archer, 39.
Archer, from Croydon, South London, is understood to have since refused to reveal the motive for lashing out and has been put on report by governors.
But a source said: “Archer grew up in South London.
“He was 13 when Stephen Lawrence was murdered.
“It’s not too hard to see why he might want to have a pop at Jamie Acourt.” The 42-year-old was being readied for exercise with other inmates at Wandsworth on Wednesday morning when the attack unfolded.
As he walked on to a prison landing Archer, serving a sentence for assault, dealt a blow to the back of his head.
Sources said Acourt instantly fell to the floor before prison officers intervened. Acourt did not need medical treatment.
A source said: “Jamie Acourt’s reputation goes before him. His ties to the Lawrence case mean a lot of people want to do him — he’s a massive target.
“Tyrone’s made himself a bit of a name inside by taking him down.”
Acourt was one of a gang suspected of the racist murder of Stephen, 18, at a bus stop in Eltham, South East London, in 1993.
Five members, including Acourt, were pelted with eggs by protesters in 1998 as they left a public inquiry into police handling of the case. They were told to give evidence or face prosecution but were accused of being evasive.
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In 2012 Gary Dobson and David Norris were convicted of the murder and jailed for life. But Scotland Yard has continued to investigate the rest of the student’s killers.
Acourt was arrested in Barcelona and admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis charges earlier this year.
Brother Neil, 43 — also suspected of a role in Stephen’s murder — is already serving six years for the plot. Both deny any part in Stephen’s death.
A Prison Service spokeswoman confirmed: “A prisoner at HMP Wandsworth has been put on report after punching a fellow prisoner on December 12.”
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