Prisoner guilty of killing his cellmate faces new assault charges

The man who pleaded guilty to killing his cellmate at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre in London, Ont., is facing new charges related to assaulting aninmate with a weapon while behind bars in a different facility.

CBC News has learned that Anthony George and three other inmates are facing assault charges followingan incident at Millhaven Institution, a maximum security prison located west of Kingston.

All four were chargedon December 31, 2017 with aggravated assault, assault using a weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence.

The medical status of the victim is unclear.

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'How was this allowed to happen again'

George was sentenced to life in prison in October with no possibility of parole for 10 years after he pleaded guilty of second-degree murderof his cellmateAdam Kargus. The incident happened at EMDCin 2013.

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The 29-year-old was found dead in the shower, where he was choked, punched and stomped to death by George during an alcohol and drug-induced frenzy.

George was transferred from EMDC to Millhaven Institution to serve his sentence.

We need to establish correctional centres that are actually correctional so these kinds of monsters aren't manufactured.-KevinEgan, lawyer

"How was this allowed to happen again? For an inmate to be assaulted or injured," Kargus' mother Deb Abrams told CBC News.

"This was just shocking. This person has no intention of ever changing his ways."

She said the recent incident hasfurther fuelled her speculationabout the lack ofsecurityat correctional centres.

After her son's death, six staffers at EMDC were initially firedfor failing to do their jobs.

Three of the guards were later given back their jobs after an Ontario's grievance settlement board found that their actions which led to their firing in this case"have gone on for years, if not decades, and they were open and obvious."

EMDC: 'aculture of violence'

A London lawyer said the jail, dubbed"the devil's playground", acts as a violent springboard for inmates who either leave or transfer to another facility.

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"It's a warehouse where people do bad things," said KevinEgan, whorepresentsthousands ofcurrent and former inmates of EMDCin a certified class-action lawsuit against the province. They allege they were victims of the jail's violent atmosphere.

"They go in, spend some time there, learn a culture of violence from other inmates and come out worse than when they went in...We need to establish correctional centres that are actually correctional so these kinds of monsters aren't manufactured," he said.

Egan said the new charges could affect George'sparole eligibility and futureplacement.

A spokesperson for Correctional Services Canada could not speak directly to the incident but said"a security incident may effect movement after two years at a maximum security facility."

George and theother three suspects are scheduled to appear in court later this month.