A convicted killer who murdered a man in London before stabbing a teenage boy hours later has had his jail term extended after carrying out what a judge described as a “serious assault motivated by racial hatred” inside a Cambridgeshire prison.
Joe (Joseph) Gynane, 41, attacked a Jewish chaplain visiting HMP Whitemoor on September 14 last year, shouting “Allah Akbar” before launching a violent assault.
Cambridge Crown Court heard the chaplain had been speaking with prisoners on the top floor landing of the prison shortly before 2.30pm when Gynane struck from behind.
The inmate punched the victim to the back of the head with such force he was knocked to the floor before continuing the attack as prison officers attempted to restrain him.
Even after a prison officer used PAVA spray, Gynane continued punching the chaplain before finally stopping.
The victim was taken to another part of the prison for treatment before later attending Peterborough City Hospital, where checks revealed he had suffered a broken jaw and a broken thumb.
The chaplain later told officers he believed the assault was religiously motivated because he was Jewish and had been wearing a black skull cap at the time of the attack.
Following the assault, Gynane was moved to the segregation unit at HMP Whitemoor, near March, where he covered his cell in graffiti including the phrases “free Palestine” and “Death to the IDF”.
Gynane admitted racially aggravated assault inflicting grievous bodily harm at a hearing in March this year.
At Cambridge Crown Court today (May 1), Judge Andrew Hurst sentenced him to an additional 11 years on top of his existing life sentence.
The sentence consists of six years in custody plus an extended five years on licence.
However, because Gynane is already serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years for murder, he will not be eligible for release until at least 2055.
During sentencing, Judge Hurst said prison chaplains provided vital support for inmates and should be protected.
He told the court they were “valuable, cherished and should be protected”.
The judge said Gynane, who converted to Islam in 2007, held “antisemitic, florid and ideologically disturbing” views.
He also described the defendant as having a “long record for serious violence, including stabbings” and said he had built up an “appalling record for violence within prison”, including the highest number of assaults recorded at HMP Whitemoor.
Judge Hurst warned Gynane posed a continuing danger.
He said there was a “very high risk of future assaults” and added the inmate “will seek to harm innocent members of Jewish community”.
Detective Constable Emma Purser, who investigated the case, welcomed the sentence.
She said: “Gynane was already serving a life sentence for murder, but I am pleased he has now had his sentence extended by quite some time and has faced justice for his actions – which were shocking and despicable.
“The Jewish chaplain involved in this case was providing a valuable service and no-one deserves to be attacked in this way, with such strong violence – and especially not because of their religion.
“I hope this case highlights how seriously both police and the courts take offences of this nature and serves as a deterrent towards anyone else thinking of committing the same behaviour.”
Background to Gynane’s 2019 murder conviction
Gynane was jailed for life in 2019 after being convicted of murdering 37-year-old Mohamed Elmi in Soho, London, before seriously injuring a 16-year-old boy just hours later using the same knife.
The Old Bailey heard Gynane had spent the early hours of March 3, 2019, walking around Soho with Mr Elmi and others while smoking and taking drugs.
At the time, prosecutors said Gynane had taken heroin, crack cocaine and spice.
Shortly before 6am, he launched what prosecutors described as a “short but deadly assault” in the doorway of the Coach and Horses pub on Romilly Street.
Using a large kitchen knife, Gynane repeatedly stabbed Mr Elmi, who later died from his injuries.
Hours later, he used the same blood-stained knife to stab a 16-year-old boy near Tottenham Court Road, causing grievous bodily harm.
During the investigation, Gynane made a series of chilling remarks to police.
According to court reports at the time, he said: “How many times have I got to do this? I have stabbed loads of people, they won’t die.
“I have stabbed him fifteen to twenty times. I don’t want to be out there anymore. I don’t care if I murder someone.”
Gynane denied murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, claiming diminished responsibility linked to drug misuse and a personality disorder.
But jurors rejected his defence and convicted him on both counts.
When he was sentenced later that year, the court heard he had gone on a prolonged drug binge after being granted bail on another offence.
Judge Richard Foster said Gynane had made a “conscious decision” to travel to Soho and consume crack cocaine, heroin and spice over a 36-hour period.
The judge concluded Gynane had stabbed Mr Elmi five times before going on to attack the teenager in a separate violent incident.
He described the defendant as having an “appalling history of criminal conduct”.
The sentencing hearing was marked by repeated outbursts from Gynane.
He interrupted his own barrister, shouted abuse in court and later spat at a dock officer while being sentenced.
At one stage he shouted: “I don’t need to listen to this b****cks if I don’t want to do I?” before walking out of the dock.
Mr Elmi’s family described the father-of-two as a “kind, jovial and cheeky” man whose death devastated those closest to him.
A statement read to the court said: “The calculated actions of one evil man robbed us of a beloved family member and friend.”
Gynane was ultimately jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years.
The latest sentence means the violent offender will remain behind bars for decades to come following the attack inside one of the UK’s highest security prisons.
