This archive report was first published on 11 November 2019.
On November 5, 2019, a shocking incident occurred at HMP Pentonville in North London, where Ashley Smith, a career criminal, was brutally beaten by a fellow inmate.
Smith, 30, had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to rob Arsenal players Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac in July 2019. The attack, which was captured on CCTV, saw Smith and his accomplice, Jordan Northover, brandish knives and a screwdriver as they tried to steal watches worth £200,000.
However, the footballers managed to escape unharmed, with Kolasinac, nicknamed the Tank, fighting back and chasing the thugs around Ozil's car. The attackers were eventually forced to flee on a moped.
Fast forward to November 5, 2019, when Smith was attacked by a fellow inmate at HMP Pentonville. The incident was captured on a mobile phone that had been smuggled into the jail and was sent to contacts on the outside, who then posted it on WhatsApp.
According to the footage, Smith was punched repeatedly in the face and begged for the attack to stop, claiming 'I can't see. It wasn't me. I swear to God it wasn't me, on my kid's life.' The attacker replied, 'If you don't give me a name now you're dead.'
Smith's lawyer stated that the crook 'fears for his life' after the beating, which left him with stitches in his right eye and a risk of losing the sight in his left eye.
The Prison Service confirmed that an HMP Pentonville prisoner required hospital treatment after an incident on November 5, 2019, but declined to comment further as police were investigating.
