A prison officer has received £600,000 in compensation after being violently attacked by a murderer who killed a teacher in a Hertfordshire hotel room.

Carl Langdell was sentenced to 26 years in prison in 2016, after St Albans Crown Court heard how he sexually assaulted and killed teacher Katie Locke on their first date.

Now, as first reported by the Sunday Mirror, a prison guard has received a huge pay out after he was 'nearly killed' by Langdell in a four-minute attack.

The assault took place at HMP Bedford where Langdell was incarcerated.

Langdell launched his attack after the officer refused to unlock a cell so that Langdell could smoke in it.

The guard - who has not been named - said: "He charged me. He smacked me in the face, smashing my eye socket, and then threw me against a wall. 

"He started strangling me and nearly broke my neck."

After an eight-year wait, the guard was awarded a £601,000 settlement.

He added: "I was treated very badly and the award I have been given reflects the psychological trauma I went through, as well as the physical injuries."

A prison service spokesperson told the Herts Ad: “Protecting our staff is of the utmost importance and we have taken steps to improve safety including equipping officers with PAVA spray and body-worn cameras.”

Langdell became known as the 'Plenty of Fish killer', a reference to the dating app on which he met his victim.

The court heard that just months before killing Katie he had told NHS staff that he would "kill someone", before admitting to having "violent fantasies", describing himself as  psychopath.

After the attack on the guard, Langdell was moved to maximum security Wakefield Prison where he took his own life in 2021.

An inquest found that there had been failings from Herts police, that if addressed, could have prevented the murder of Katie Locke.

The inquest found that Langdell had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder with narcissistic and antisocial traits and was known to several public bodies, including Herts police and Herts Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.