MARIA/MARK WALKER FROM OXFORD INVOLVED IN PRISON ATTACK AND BOMB THREATS
In May 2021, a disturbing incident unfolded involving Marcia Walker, formerly known as Mark Walker, at HMP Frankland, a high-security Category A prison located in Durham.Walker, a 47-year-old inmate originally from Oxford, reacted with hostility when prison officers confiscated her razor blades.
The authorities had taken this action because Walker claimed that having razors in her possession exacerbated her gender dysphoria, which she has long struggled with as she seeks gender realignment surgery.
Her reaction was aggressive; she responded with anger, spat at a prison officer, and falsely claimed to have contracted COVID-19.
During the same incident, Walker also issued threats against another inmate and a prison custody manager named Michael Roachford, further escalating the situation.
Walker’s criminal history is extensive and deeply troubling.
She was first incarcerated in 2003, receiving a 13-year sentence for the rape of a four-year-old girl and another girl under 16, along with charges related to the production and distribution of indecent images of children.
Her past also includes a six-month sentence in 2012 after threatening to send a bomb to the residence of Theresa May, who was then the Home Secretary.
These threats originated from a bail hostel and later from various high-security prisons, including HMP Bullingdon, HMP Long Lartin, and HMP Parkhurst, where she was transferred during her incarceration.
In 2017, Walker received an additional five-year sentence for threats made from HMP Long Lartin.
This was on top of previous sentences: six years for threats from HMP Bullingdon in 2013, four years for threats from HMP Parkhurst in 2015, and other sentences related to her threatening behavior.
Her pattern of making threats and causing disruptions in prison has been persistent over the years.
Walker’s ongoing dispute over her gender identity and access to gender reassignment surgery has been a source of tension within the prison system.
She has expressed that the inability to shave worsens her gender dysphoria.
During the incident at HMP Frankland, she also expressed her frustration by refusing to comply with prison rules and making threatening statements.
The court heard that she had been sent magazines from a charity, including National Geographic issues containing images of naked children, which she insisted she had no sexual interest in, but she was nonetheless upset about the confiscation of her razors.
Walker appeared via video link in court, where she admitted to assaulting a prison officer, breaching a sexual harm prevention order, and making threats to kill Mr.
Roachford and fellow inmate Liam Edwards.
Judge Ray Singh expressed serious concerns about her potential release, citing her history of violence and threats, but also acknowledged the complexities surrounding her continued detention.
Ultimately, the judge decided to impose a series of consecutive three-month sentences for her various offenses, totaling 15 months, which were suspended for two years.
Additionally, Walker will be subject to post-sentence supervision.
At present, Walker has been held on remand at Durham Prison but is expected to be released within the next 24 hours, according to court proceedings.
Back in June 2013, Walker’s criminal conduct took a more alarming turn when he, then known as Mark Walker, was sentenced to six years for making a series of bomb threats that caused significant disruption at HMP Bullingdon near Bicester.
These threats included sending messages to the then-Home Secretary Theresa May, warning her to “Watch your back.
You are a dead woman,” and claiming there was a bomb at her Berkshire residence.
The threats were linked to Walker’s frustration with the probation service and his desire to cause trouble.
Thames Valley Police reported that Walker’s actions had cost nearly £17,500 in resources.
During a prison search in June 2012, officers discovered a document titled ‘Plan of Action’ in Walker’s cell, outlining plans to go to Theresa May’s home and “cause problems.” Walker’s criminal record also includes a 2003 conviction for child sex crimes, including the rape of a girl under 16, and a six-month sentence in February of the previous year for distributing indecent images of children.
After his release in August, Walker made a series of threatening phone calls, including claims of a bomb at a hostel in Windsor and a parcel bomb at Theresa May’s home, which led to further police investigations and disruptions, including cancellations of judicial visits and prisoner transfers.
Prosecutor Iain Wicks highlighted the severity of Walker’s actions, stating that his threats caused the “utter halt” of prison operations and diverted scarce public resources.
Walker ultimately pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including communicating false information with intent, using a public communication network to send menacing messages, and conveying threatening messages through a letter.
His criminal conduct over the years underscores a pattern of dangerous and disruptive behavior that has had serious repercussions both within the prison system and in the wider community.
