A report into the murder of a Buckinghamshire prisoner who was nearly beheaded in a ‘planned execution’ has revealed there was ‘a lack of coordination and urgency’ from officials into preventing the attack from defusing.

Ukrainian national Taras Nykolyn, 49, was serving a custodial sentence at HMP Woodhill, Milton Keynes, after he attacked a commuter in Wimbledon Common.

Whilst he was in remand for this crime, killed his cellmate with a television.

During his time behind bars in north Buckinghamshire, he was being housed at the jail’s managing challenging behaviour unit, which takes care of some of the most dangerous prisoners in the country.

The establishment currently houses around 800 inmates.

However, at around 3pm on June 5, 2018, Nykolyn, was ambushed by Jibreel Raheem, Stephen Boorman and James Brabbs when entering the prison’s exercise yard.

He had been in conversation with the trio just two prior. 

He was punched, kicked, stamped, stabbed and cut with ‘improvised weapons’ before being strangled with a bed sheet.

They also mutilated his body whilst trying to ‘behead’ Nykolyn, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Now, more than six years after the attack, Sue McAllister CB from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, has concluded her review of the incident, which has resulted in the closure of the jail’s managing challenging behaviour unit.

A section of her report, which was published on September 8, reads: “This was an extended and extremely brutal attack.

“Although it seems to have been pre-planned, I am satisfied that there was no information available to staff to suggest that Mr Nykolyn was at risk.

“However, I am concerned that while the mix of prisoners on the unit was clearly a dangerous one, all four prisoners exercised together, unlike the practice at other special units.

“In addition, there were weaknesses in some other aspects of security and risk assessment in the unit.

“I am also very concerned at the lack of coordination and urgency in the response once the attack on Mr Nykolyn began, and the fact that there was no contingency plan for an incident in the exercise yard.”

The attack lasted for nearly 30 minutes, and during the 2021 inquest of Nykolyn’s murder, prison officer Wayne Bird described watching the incident as ‘something from a horror film.’

He said: “It was a horrendous sight - an act of mutilation of an already dead person.”

Following the killing,  Raheem, Boorman and Brabbs were all given life sentences for their part in Nykolyn’s death.

Boorman, who was the ringleader, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 35 years.

He was already serving a 15-year sentence for stabbing his friend in an argument.

Brabbs, who was behind bars for life with a minimum term of 29-and-a-half years for stabbing a delivery driver in the throat, was given another life sentence, where he will be eligible for parole after a decade.  

Finally, Raheem, was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years and nine months.

He was already serving a custodial sentence for attempted murder.