A TRIPLE murderer who stabbed three prison officers has today been cleared of attempted murder.

Kevan Thakrar, 24, admitted stabbing the members of staff at Frankland Prison, Durham, in March last year with a broken chilli bottle but claimed he lashed out in self-defence as he feared he was about to be attacked.

Thakrar, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of previous prison experiences, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

A jury took eight hours and 15 minutes to clear him of two counts of attempted murder and three counts of wounding with intent.

He was serving at least 35 years of a life sentence for the drug-related murder of three men and the attempted murder of two women carried in Bishops Stortford with his brother Miran in 2007.

Full story and reaction in tomorrow's Northern Echo