Prison boss sacked after row with inmate

APRISON governor once accused of falling asleep with security keys for a West prison was sacked for using excessive force on an inmate in a heated row over dinner plates, a tribunal heard.

Graham Stretch’s 28-year career working with the prison service ended after “losing his temper” while working as the acting governor in charge over a weekend at HMP Portland in Dorset.

He had faced earlier disciplinary proceedings after an allegation was made that he was found asleep in his office while in possession of security keys.

The tribunal ruling heard this was considered a serious matter and potential gross misconduct and was taken forward to a disciplinary hearing.

Mr Stretch was allowed to remain in post after the hearing in July 2018 ruled it could not be proven on the balance of probabilities that he was asleep.

But just four months later, he was involved in a violent altercation with a prisoner in a cell that ended in his sacking.

The tribunal, which rejected his claim he was unfairly dismissed, heard he was acting as the governor and he was therefore the most senior managerial employee in the prison on October 14, 2018.

He was accused of pushing a prisoner out of a corridor and into a cell that was being used as an office room.

An altercation then took place inside the office, with Stretch appearing to put his hands around the prisoner’s neck.

Several other officers and they dispersed.

In his statement, Mr Stretch said the prisoner had come down from the landing asking for a plate.

He added: “Staff had gone to the wing office to get him a plate, but he was trying to go to another prisoner’s door.

“I told him several times to get his plate and lunch. He became verbally aggressive and abusive towards me. I followed him towards the office and told him to go inside so I could address his poor behaviour. He turned suddenly and aggressively, so I pushed him into the office using open hands on his chest.

“The prisoner is considerably taller than me and looked like he was going to head-butt me, so I slid one hand towards his neck and the other behind his head to pull him downwards.

“As I pulled him forward and downwards, other staff responded and used C&R techniques to restrain him. I immediately intervened, released all contact with the prisoner, who was now shouting that I had assaulted him by trying to strangle him. I used absolutely the minimum of force and only initiated force because of the threats I believed he posed to me.”

The tribunal heard Mr Stretch began working for the Department of Justice in March 1991 as a prison officer and was promoted to senior management.

He had never received any poor appraisals and has enjoyed a good working relationship with the majority of his colleagues. He intended to continue in his role or something similar until he retired at age 60 in 2025 before his dismissal for gross misconduct.

Employment judge N J Roper rejected Mr Stretch’s case for unfair dismissal after the disciplinary hearing ruled the “initiation of force by the claimant, even if necessary, was still disproportionate and unreasonable in the circumstances.

“It demonstrated an extremely poor understanding of restraint minimisation and medical considerations. In addition, the claimant’s conflict management and management of the situation was poor.”

The judge said there were reasonable grounds for the respondent to conclude that the claimant had committed gross misconduct.