Robert Stewart’s prison file was outdated and irrelevant, inquiry told

The prison file of Robert Stewart, the offender who killed Zahid
Mubarek, was “uncoordinated” and contained
“irrelevant” and “outdated” information, an
inquiry heard today.

Mr Justice Keith, chair of the inquiry into Mubarek’s
death, showed a panel of experts Stewart’s file during a
seminar on the topic of

Mubarek

information sharing held today in London as part of the
inquiry.

He said the file was “all over the shop,” and said
it held “outdated documents of no value”.

Mubarek, a first time offender, was 19 when he was sent to
Feltham Young Offender Institution in January 2000 for theft and
interfering with a motor vehicle. He was just two days from release
when he was battered to death with a table leg by his cellmate
Stewart, then also 19 in March 2000.

Mr Justice Keith and representatives from the Prison Service,
Court Service, the police and the Prison Officers’
Association discussed how to improve the flow of information in the
Prison Service.

The seminar examined the possible impact of the National
Offender Management Information System, an online system holding
information of prisoners, shortly to be introduced by the Prison
Service.

Chair of the POA Colin Moses said that prison officers needed to
be involved in improving the system.

The seminar was the first of six seminars which will be spread
over the next two weeks and will examine topics relevant to the
inquiry.