Conisbrough machete attacker fails in bid to sue jail

A VIOLENT prisoner locked up 25 years ago for frenzied machete attack has tried to sue a jail for not calling him 'Mr'.But Bernard Pennington, who is serving a life sentence for the attack on his estranged wife in Conisbrough, had his case thrown out of co

A VIOLENT prisoner locked up 25 years ago for frenzied machete attack has tried to sue a jail for not calling him 'Mr'.

But Bernard Pennington, who is serving a life sentence for the attack on his estranged wife in Conisbrough, had his case thrown out of court.

Pennington cost the taxpayer £6,000 by claiming that the term "prisoner" was derogatory and a breach of his human rights.

He tried to sue David Luckett, voluntary chairman of the Independent Monitoring Board, which checks up on day-to-day life at Kingston Prison in Portsmouth, for £300.

Mr Luckett had referred to him as "prisoner Pennington" in a letter after the convict made a complaint to the board about his treatment at the Milton Road prison.

But a judge threw the case out at Portsmouth County Court, saying there was "no merit" to the complaint.

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