War criminal attacked in cell sought jail move

Radislav Krstic said he had been worried about his security before the attack in his cell, allegedly in revenge for his involvement in the killing of Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995, and that incident had confirmed his fears.

Three prisoners, Indrit Krasniqi, 23, Iliyas Khalid, 24, and Quam Ogumbiyi, 29, all deny attempted murder and the alternative of wounding Krstic with intent on May 7 last year.

The jury has heard all three are Muslims who were serving life sentences for murder on the same wing as him at Wakefield.

The prosecution claims the trio burst into Krstic’s cell where he was held down on the floor while his throat was slashed “in punishment or revenge”.

Krstic told the jury earlier that Krasniqi was one of the attackers but he could not identify the other two, who were black men.

Icah Peart QC, defending Krasniqi, suggested in cross-examination he was wrong in saying Krasniqi was one of the attackers.

He put it to the former soldier that what happened to him was “pretty horrible by any standards” but that he was now trying to turn it to his advantage.

Krstic denied he was doing that and said he found the suggestion offensive.

“What you are doing I suggest is attempting to use this attack upon you to get you out of the UK, back to the European mainland where you want to be. Am I right?” asked Mr Peart.

Krstic, who is serving 35 years for aiding and abetting genocide, said he had raised with his solicitors from his arrival in the UK, the threat he faced in British prisons particularly from prisoners of the Muslim religion.

“Ever since I came to the UK I was asking as soon as possible that I could be transferred to some other country.”

Mr Peart suggested his solicitors had been citing the incident at Wakefield in support of that proposition.

“Yes that is true,” said Krstic.

He agreed under cross-examination by Mark George QC, representing Ogumbiyi, that he had never disputed the fact about 8,000 Muslim Bosnian boys and men from around Srebrenica were executed but said he had no knowledge that they were driven to isolated locations and shot in small groups beside already dug pits, because at the time he had been 50 miles away.

Prison officer Paul Swain said when he got to the cell Krstic told him Krasniqi and two others had attacked him.

He also said later: “I told you this would happen.”

The trial continues.