A PRISONER accused of making threats to kill against two governors has been cleared by a jury after he told them he had been 'stitched up'.

The jury of seven men and five women took just 30 minutes to decide that Thomas O'Rourke was not guilty of three counts of threats to kill which the prosecution said were made against governing governor Claire Pearson and deputy governor Maria Compton at HMP Long Lartin in South Littleton, near Evesham.

O'Rourke, wearing a blue shirt and tie, wept in the dock and raised a hand in thanks to the jury after they delivered their unanimous not guilty verdicts at Worcester Crown Court on Friday.

The threats of which he has been acquitted were said by the prosecution to have taken place on March 2, March 31 and April 1, 2017 while O'Rourke, a category B prisoner, was in the segregation unit.

Although the 42-year-old was recorded on a prison officer's body camera saying 'I'm absolutely going to stab you to death' and 'I'm absolutely going to behead you' he said he was talking to a 'terrorist' in a cell opposite and not to Maria Compton.

O'Rourke took to the witness stand, admitting he was 'no angel' and had convictions for armed robbery and escaping from prison.

However, he denied writing threatening graffiti in his cell or making verbal threats to kill the two women.

The grandfather claimed he had missed four parole hearings after being moved from HMP Belmarsh to Manchester to Long Lartin and finally to Full Sutton because prison staff feared what he might say. 

He also claimed a document had been doctored by his ex-partner, Emma O'Gorman, and a social worker which suggested he was risk to women despite him having no convictions for violence and this had prevented him getting parole.

He said: "It was to stop me seeing the parole board. I have never been violent to a woman. I would not have beef with a woman.

"Come on, you can see I've been stitched up.

"I've been in trouble a long time ago. I've been in 14 years and had two months out. I'm no angel but I have been straight with you." 

Judge Robert Juckes QC asked that O'Rourke be taken down to complete the rest of his sentence.