Correctional officer hospitalized after being severely beaten by inmate at Quebec prison: police

A jail bunk bed is shown behind bars (Pexels)

A correctional officer was seriously injured after being attacked by an inmate at a prison northeast of Montreal, police say.

At around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, officers with the MRC de Pierre-De Saurel were called to the Sorel-Tracy detention centre after receiving a report of the attack, Ève Brochu-Jouber, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, told CTV News on Monday.

The correctional officer suffered "severe" injuries and was sent to hospital where he remains in a stable but "critical" condition, she said.

Sources told Noovo Info that the officer, who was left unrecognizable after the attack, was hit about 15 times with a homemade weapon and there are fears that he could lose his eyesight.

Brochu-Jouber said the inmate, a 39-year-old man, is being questioned by investigators. Police said they will hand over the file to the Quebec prosecution office for possible charges.

The union representing provincial correctional officers told Noovo Info that Quebec needs to take more action to protect his members. According to Mathieu Lavoie, president of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec, there have been four reports of assaults against agents in the past three weeks, including three in the Montreal region.

"We have called on our counterparts, we have called on the ministry to take action. They are thinking about it. It is no longer time to think, it is time to act," said Lavoie, adding that correctional officers have been asking for a long time to prioritize their safety.

With files from Noovo Info