Serial killer 'attacked by fellow inmate who was friends with victim'

A serial killer who called himself the 'Crossbow Cannibal' has now been 'attacked in prison by a fellow inmate' who had been friends with one of his victims.

Murderer Stephen Griffiths was handed a life sentence in 2010 after he killed three women working in the red light district in Bradford - dismembering and eating some of their body parts.

But he is presently recovering in the hospital wing at HMP Full Sutton after crossing paths with someone who knew one of his victims, Suzanne Blamires, 36.

The inmate reportedly grew angry he had been put on the same wing as the cannibal and so 'sent Griffiths flying and knocked him out' after punching him in the face in a prison corridor, an insider said.

Griffiths was knocked unconscious as a result of the blow when he fell back from the force and also suffered injuries to his face.

The Bradford criminology student, who told police he was studying for a PhD in homicide, killed 43-year-old Susan Rushworth, who disappeared in June, 2009, followed by 31-year-old Shelley Armitage in April, 2010, and then 36-year-old Suzanne Blamires in May of the same year.

In 2010, Leeds Crown Court heard gruesome details of the killings by the then-40-year-old including the shocking revelation that 81 different pieces of Ms Blamires were found in or by the River Aire in Shipley.

When he was arrested Griffiths told police 'I've killed loads' and claimed he had eaten some of Ms Blamires's flesh, adding: 'That's part of the magic.'

He used a powerful crossbow and a knife.

The Sun has now reported about the prison attack him, quoting a source as saying: 'The inmate said he knew Suzanne, Griffiths' victim, and had grown up with her.

'He was unhappy being on a wing with his friend's killer.

'I don't know how Griffiths came to know that he knew Suzanne.

'The inmate was worried he would be attacked himself.

'The inmate who attacked Griffiths felt that Griffiths was going to hurt him.

'So he sent Griffiths flying and knocked him out.

'Griffiths was thrown six feet backwards and the attack knocked him spark out.

'There was some blood; the force caused some sort of lesion.

'The inmate has now been put on 'basic' for a month, as is the case when there is any kind of violence on the wing.

'Griffiths went to the hospital wing. He had some bruises on his face.'

The Prison Service told the Sun: 'Violence is not tolerated in prisons and anyone found responsible will be punished.' 

Killer Griffiths had been caught in May 2010 when a caretaker at the flats where he lived saw horrific CCTV footage of Ms Blamires's final moments.

Suzanne died from severe head injuries caused by a crossbow bolt, and was also found with knife wounds.

During his trial, Griffiths stood in the dock to enter his pleas surrounded by five security guards. Dressed in a grey tracksuit, he said 'yes' when asked to confirm his name.

He said 'guilty' in a quiet voice when the clerk put each of the three murder charges to him.

Judge Mr Justice Openshaw, told the court the defendant's mental health had been carefully examined and there was 'no question that he was fit to plead'.

The furniture and the walls in Griffiths' flat were splattered with the victims' blood and he claimed to have eaten raw parts of the flesh of Ms Blamires.

Ms Blamires's mother Nicky condemned the triple killer's actions, saying: 'Stephen Griffiths is a coward and we are shocked he pleaded guilty as it is not something I thought he would have the courage to do.'

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Christine Thompson, Susan Rushworth's mother, issued an emotional appeal to Griffiths to tell them what he has done with her daughter's body so she can finally be laid to rest.

She said: 'As a family, we have not been able to put our daughter to rest because she has not been found, so we want to appeal to this man to tell us what he has done with Susan.'

Gill Armitage, Shelley Armitage's mother, said: 'She took the wrong path at the young age of 16 years old when she became a victim of heroin. Her death will haunt us for the rest of our lives.'

Griffiths had a violent past and a history of poor mental health. He spent time in Rampton high security hospital in Nottinghamshire in the early 1990s.

As a 17-year-old he was arrested for shoplifting in a supermarket but as he was detained he slashed a security guard's throat with a knife.

He was jailed for three years.

In 1989 he was prosecuted for possession of an air pistol but was not jailed. He was ordered to do 100 hours' community service as he had fallen foul of the previous conviction.

In 1991 he received a 24-month sentence at Leeds Crown Court for affray and possession of an offensive weapon.

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His girlfriends said he was violent and abused them but were too terrified to testify against him and no charges were brought.

Only a few months ago, Kathy Hancock, who dated the 'crossbow cannibal' for a decade before he was convicted of murdering three women, relived her ordeal of their 'abusive' relationship.

Kathy Hancock from the Isle of Wight, once a prison officer at Full Sutton Prison, near York, publicly recounted her ten years of 'torture' and 'abuse' at the hands of Stephen Griffiths.

She said: 'I got two thirds the way through a cup of tea and felt strange, he looked at me and said ''do you feel ok?'' and I said ''not really, I feel really weird''. My eyesight was fuzzy and he was looking down at me laughing.

'He was enjoying it, there is this look he gets with a grin, no compassion, enjoying the nastiness of it. I asked why and he said to punish me because my dog growled at him.'

Kathy said she was increasingly controlled and coerced by Griffiths, to the point where he even abducted her dogs in the middle of the night. All these years on, she still doesn't know their fate.

Following his arrest, Griffiths said: 'I'm misanthropic, I don't have much time for the human race.'

MailOnline has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.