Revealed: The prison plot to kill Daniel Morcombe's killer
EXCLUSIVE: Prison authorities have foiled a plot to kill Brett Cowan at a Brisbane jail where he is serving a life sentence for the murder of Daniel Morcombe.
The inmate who allegedly planned to kill Cowan is housed in the same unit, S8, at the Wolston Correctional Centre.
7 News understands staff confronted the inmate about the plot at the protection jail on Monday.
When they went to place him under a Safety Order to contain him, officers claim the inmate ran from staff and slashed himself with a razor as he kept them at bay.
A code yellow was called, and then a second response was called over the radio for more staff to assist.
When officers armed with shields approached the prisoner, he eventually surrendered and was taken for treatment at the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Up to four prisoners at the Wolston Correctional Centre may have been involved in the plot, prison staff told Seven News.
The plot follows a series of attempts to attack Cowan who is a high profile target for other prisoners, wanting to maim or kill the man who murdered Daniel Morcombe.
Last August, another inmate threw boiling water over Cowan and then bashed him with a mop bucket.
Cowan moved into the S8 unit last February after spending almost two years in isolation.
When Cowan was found guilty of Daniel’s murder in March 2014, he was placed in the detention unit at Wolston jail after authorities deemed him at serious risk of being attacked.
Prison staff said the jail is still locked down whenever Cowan is moved out of his unit to the other sections.
Queensland Corrective Services cited privacy reasons for not commenting on the individual management of prisoners or jail operations.
They declined to comment on whether Cowan would be moved out of S8 or returned to an isolation unit.
A QCS spokesperson said safety and security was their number one priority.
“Prisons are tightly controlled and the response to each incident is graduated to respond proportionally to each situation as it arises. This is a carefully defined operational practice,’’ the spokesman said.
“Each incident is referred to the Queensland Police Service through the Corrective Services Investigation Unit,’’ the spokesperson said .
No charges have been laid at this stage.
