In 2026, the Offender Database reported that Fuad Awale, then 38, formerly of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, was awarded a substantial taxpayer-funded payout following a legal challenge regarding his prison conditions. Awale, a convicted double murderer and extremist, was sentenced to a minimum of 38 years in prison in January 2013 for the execution-style killings of two teenagers in a drugs-related dispute.
The court heard that Awale had used a firearm to shoot 19-year-old Mohammed Abdi Farah and 18-year-old Amin Ahmed Ismail in the head in a Milton Keynes alleyway. Following his incarceration, he was handed a further six-year sentence for taking a prison officer hostage at HMP Full Sutton in 2013. During the siege, he held a weapon to the officer’s throat and demanded the release of hate preacher Abu Qatada, stating: “Stop struggling, I’ve killed two people—I’ll kill you.”
Due to his “extremist beliefs” and high risk of violence, Awale was held in “close supervision centres” at HMP Woodhill. These units are designed for the most dangerous convicts, where up to four officers equipped with body-worn cameras must be present every time an inmate’s cell is unlocked. From March 2023, Awale was kept in near-total isolation, spending as little as one hour a day outside his cell to prevent him from radicalising other inmates or harming staff.
Awale launched a legal challenge using Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), claiming that his prolonged segregation breached his right to a private and family life and caused him “severe depression.” In late 2025, Justice Secretary David Lammy agreed to a settlement that awarded Awale £7,500 in compensation and a staggering £234,000 to cover his taxpayer-funded legal costs.
The payout has sparked significant public outcry, given Awale’s history of extreme violence and his lack of remorse for the lives he ended. Despite the compensation, Awale remains a Category A prisoner and is not eligible for parole until approximately 2051. He continues to be monitored under the most stringent security protocols available within the British prison system.
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