A convicted killer already serving a whole life sentence has been locked up for life again after trying to murder a fellow inmate with a claw hammer.
Damien Bendall’s Savage Prison Assault
Damien Bendall, 37, was handed a rare whole life order in December 2022 for murdering his pregnant partner Terri Harris, 35, and three children—two of them hers and a guest—at their Derbyshire home in 2021. He bludgeoned them to death during a sleepover and raped one of the victims as she died.
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While behind bars at HMP Frankland, County Durham, Bendall launched a brutal, unprovoked attack on inmate Michael Mullaney. Armed with a hidden claw hammer, Bendall struck Mullaney three or four times during a prison workshop, leaving him fighting for his life.
More Jail Time, But No Chance of Freedom
At Teesside Crown Court in May 2024, Bendall was sentenced to life with a minimum 15 years for attempted murder. Judge Francis Laird KC called the attack “ferocious” and “unprovoked,” noting Bendall struck from behind with the concealed weapon.
