Cliff Notes
- Sidney Cooke, a notorious 97-year-old paedophile and child killer, was the target of a violent attack by another inmate at Wakefield Prison, Yorkshire, where the incident was recorded on CCTV.
- The assailant approached Cooke from behind and struck him with a metal drinks flask, causing him to fall and lose consciousness. He received multiple blows to the face as he lay on the floor.
- The vicious assault appears to have been motivated by a personal dispute, with reports indicating that Cooke had previously attacked the assailant, inciting this act of revenge.
- Cooke was saved from potentially fatal injury when another inmate intervened, restraining the attacker until prison staff arrived.
- Despite the severity of the attack, there is reportedly little sympathy for Cooke among prison staff and inmates, as he is described as “totally unrepentant” for his past crimes.
Shocking moment killer paedophile Sidney Cooke, now 97, is battered almost to death by inmate with metal flask
Paedophile child killer Sidney Cooke was almost battered to death by a bloodthirsty inmate in a shocking prison ‘revenge’ attack which was caught on CCTV.
The prisoner is seen sneaking up behind 97-year-old Cooke, one of Britain’s most notorious paedophiles, before bludgeoning him to the ground in a devastating assault on the corridors of Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire.
Cooke, a horrific sex offender suspected of being involved in up to 20 child murders, is sent crashing down to the floor after being knocked out by the lag armed with a drinks flask for a weapon.
The graphic CCTV shows the attacker raising a metal flask above his head with both hands before smashing it down on the top of the paedophile’s head in front of inmates and prison staff.
After he slumps to the floor, seemingly unconscious, Cooke is then repeatedly smashed in the face with the flask.
The monster, wearing a cardigan, shirt and grey trousers, was only saved when another prisoner rushed over to intervene and tackled the attacker to the ground as panicked guards swooped on the scene.
Cooke, nicknamed ‘Hissing Sid’, and his gang, known as the ‘Dirty Dozen’, are suspected of the abduction and killing of 17 boys in the 70s and 80s. Many of these remain unsolved.
A source told The Sun, who obtained the footage, that ‘Cooke was lucky to survive’, adding: ‘He had a long-running dispute with the other inmate, who had claimed Cooke had attacked him, egged on by henchmen.
Paedophile child murderer Sidney Cooke was almost battered to death by a bloodthirsty inmate in a shocking prison ‘revenge’ attack
The graphic CCTV shows the attacker raising a metal flask above his head with both hands before smashing it down on the paedophile’s head, sending him crashing down to the floor
The monster, wearing a cardigan, shirt and grey trousers, was only saved when another prisoner rushed over to intervene and pull the tackle away as panicked guards swooped on the scene
‘This was his revenge – and it was pretty chilling. It is no exaggeration to say Cooke narrowly escaped being killed.
‘No-one really felt sorry for him afterwards but he was in a pretty bad way and needed treatment in the healthcare unit.’
The source claimed that no one feels sorry for Cooke, who is said to be ‘totally unrepentant’ for his crimes.
A female prison officer was seen rushing to help, while other guards rushed down the stairs to help.
A male guard restrained the other inmate while Cooke lay splayed out on the floor.
Police were called after the attack in November 2023 and prison bosses disciplined the attacker, who has since been released from Wakefield.
The West Yorkshire prison, dubbed ‘Monster Mansion’, holds killers including Jeremy Bamber, Roy Whiting and Robert Maudsley.
Vile predator Cooke, who was revealed to have shaved his beard off and had a bruised forehead in a new photo released on Monday, is due to have his twelfth parole hearing this year.
The bruise is believed to have come from the flask attack, according to The Sun.
Vile predator Cooke, who was revealed to have shaved his beard off and had a bruised forehead in a new photo released on Monday, is due to have his twelfth parole hearing this year
In 2023, the killer of 14-year-old Jason Swift failed in an attempt to be freed from jail after the Parole Board decided he still presented ‘a very high risk of serious harm to children.’
Cooke, from Hackney, east London, remains in maximum security jail Wakefield Prison, despite having completed his minimum term 19 years ago.
He was convicted of manslaughter in 1989 over the death of 14-year-old Jason Swift.
Leslie Bailey, Robert Oliver and Steven Barrell were also jailed in 1989 for Jason’s manslaughter.
Cooke was also named in court as the leader of a paedophile ring, which was linked to the death of Mark Tildesley, seven, who went missing in 1984. His remains have never been found.
Cooke and his gang are suspected of the abduction and killing of 17 boys in the 70s and 80s. Many of these remain unsolved.
Operating from a flat on the Kingsmead estate in Hackney, east London, the gang hired rent boys or snatched children off the streets and subjected them to sexual torture.
Robert Oliver (pictured) was jailed for the manslaughter of 14-year-old Jason Swift alongside Sidney Cooke, Leslie Bailey, and Steven Barrell
Cooke travelled the country preying on vulnerable youngsters, setting up his children’s Test Your Strength machine in fairgrounds and using this as an opportunity to lure boys before drugging them and subjecting them to brutal assaults.
Cooke was released from jail in April 1999, after serving nine years for the manslaughter of teenager Jason Swift in 1985.
After his release he was immediately taken into voluntary custody for his own safety. However detectives, convinced he was responsible for other similar unsolved crimes, kept his file open.
Within months Cooke was accused of abusing two teenage brothers he befriended while working on fairgrounds more than 30 years ago. He was also accused of the rape of a young woman.
In an unexpected move during his 1999 trial at Manchester Crown Court, Cooke suddenly changed his plea to guilty and admitted ten offences against the youngsters and subsequently received two life sentences.
Cooke was linked to the disappearance of seven-year-old Mark Tildesley (pictured) in 1984
Four charges of rape, a further three of indecent assault and one of buggery were left on the court file.
Cooke has been linked to some of the most horrific child sex murders in the last 50-years through his association with Dirty Dozen members Leslie Bailey, Robert Oliver and Steven Barrell.
Bailey was convicted in 1992 of the manslaughter of seven-year-old Mark Tildesley who was raped in Cooke’s caravan while visiting a fairground near Wokingham, Berkshire, in 1984.
Bailey was also convicted of the murder of Barry Lewis, six, who was abducted in June 1991 before being sexually abused by up to eight men.
Cooke is still in jail. Bailey was murdered in his prison cell in 1993 and Oliver was last reported to be living in a bail hostel in Guildford, Surrey. The whereabouts of Barrell are unknown.
The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the footage of Cooke being attacked.
