A prisoner has appeared in court charged with the murder of a fellow inmate at HMP Whitemoor, a high-security prison in Cambridgeshire.
Nathaniel Reece, 44, pleaded not guilty to the killing of 63-year-old John Mansfield, which occurred on 13 April this year. Reece appeared at Cambridge Crown Court via prison video-link for the plea hearing. During proceedings, he left the video-link room partway through and did not return.
The defendant, formerly from Islington, north London, was seen wearing a long-sleeved green top and seated at a desk before leaving the hearing.
Reece is scheduled to stand trial at Cambridge Crown Court from 1 June 2026.
John Mansfield, originally from Manchester, was found dead in his cell at HMP Whitemoor. A post-mortem examination confirmed that he died from a head injury.
Mansfield had been serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years for the 2007 murder of his neighbour, 63-year-old Ann Alfanso.
The case underscores concerns about violence in high-security prisons and the challenges of maintaining safety among inmates with serious criminal histories.
