Council compensates manager for prison hostage ordeal
A beleaguered council has been forced to pay £35,000 to a former employee who was kept hostage for almost two days by the notorious prison inmate, Charles Bronson.
Phil Danielson was employed by Hull city council as an education manager at Hull prison where Mr Bronson, a category A prisoner, is serving a life sentence for kidnapping.
He quit his career in adult education after suffering severe post-traumatic stress and three nervous breakdowns, following his 44-hour ordeal.
During the assault, Mr Bronson tied a leather skipping rope around Mr Danielson's neck, and used a six inch knife tied to a pool cue to force the teacher to "entertain" him with song and dance routines.
Mr Danielson, who has since left the council, welcomed the settlement of a £27,000 lump sum in additional pension contributions and £8,000 in back holiday pay.
This is on top of a £65,000 settlement awarded by the Home Office three years ago for stress-related injuries sustained by Mr Danielson during his ordeal.
Mr Danielson said: "Without the sterling work of my union, the National Association for Teachers in Further and Higher Education, I doubt that the result would have been half as satisfactory.
"Bronson's wife recently said that he was a victim of the system. I certainly was a victim of his violence, which ruined my career."
The pay out is the latest in a long list of difficulties faced by Hull city council.
The council received a damning corporate governance inspection report following its latest inspection last October, which led to the government parachuting in troubleshooter Tony Allen to recommend changes in its governance arrangements. Mr Allen is expected to report at the end of the month.
Hull city council was unavailable for comment.