Inmates deny jail attack on Bosnian Serb war criminal

Quam Ogumbiyi said he was only transferred to the jail the day before the incident, in which former Bosnian Serb General-Major Radislav Krstic had his throat slashed, and had never even seen him.

He told Leeds Crown Court that on the morning of May 7 he noticed people gathering outside a cell on D wing’s third landing and began moving towards the action but before he got there he saw officers moving around.

“I thought it was a fight in the cell.”

He assumed that would mean everyone would get locked up so made his way back to his own cell on the fourth landing without going into any other.

Mark George QC, defending him, asked: “Did you know at this time that a man who had been convicted of aiding and abetting genocide was on the wing there?”

“No,” replied Ogumbiyi, whom the jury has heard is serving a life sentence for murder.

“Did you take any part in the attack on Mr Krstic?” asked Mr George.

“Certainly not, definitely not, No,” said Ogumbiyi.

“The very first time I got told about this man supposed to be there as a war criminal was at the beginning of this case.”

Ogumbiyi, 29, two other prisoners, Indrit Krasniqi, 23 and Iliyas Khalid, 24, each deny attempting to murder Krstic and an alternative of wounding him with intent.

The prosecution claims the three, who were practising Muslims, burst into the former soldier’s cell and attacked him in revenge for his involvement in the killing of thousands of Muslim men and boys from Srebrenica.

Krstic, who is serving 35 years in jail following his conviction by the International Court, named Krasniqi as one of his attackers and said the other two were black men.

Khalid told the jury he also was not one of those attackers.

He said he was aware Krstic was on the wing and had heard officers and inmates talking about him being there for war crimes but only found out about his link to Srebrenica afterwards.

On the morning concerned he was on the fourth landing when he heard a commotion and could see a “cluster” of inmates below.

He went down to investigate thinking it was an argument and pushed through the crowd into cell 21 which was Krstic’s.

There were about four or five other inmates inside as well and he could see Krstic on the floor with blood on his face and top with another prisoner helping him. He was agitated and waving his arms about.

Khalid said: “I didn’t want nothing to do with the incident so I moved to my own cell.”

The trial continues.