Prisoner has his EAR cut off in Reservoir Dogs style attack as other inmates watch in high security UK jail

Shocking video footage has emerged showing a prisoner having his ear cut off in a ‘Reservoir Dogs’ style attack.

The mobile footage shows the inmate being tortured with a knife before his ear was severed.

The victim was straddled by a much smaller man armed with a knife during the attack.

At one point the attacker calls the victim a ‘little p****’ before slashing his face and then repeatedly stabbing the back of his head with a knife.

During the final moments of the clip the victim’s ear appears to be severed, as he screams out in pain.

Pictured: The man is attacked with the weapon during the horrifying assault in a British high security jail

 His legs and feet can be seen writhing on the floor as the agonising attack continues.

The incident, which took place just a few weeks ago, was witnessed by a group of prisoners, one of whom filmed the incident on a mobile phone.

A source told MailOnline said: ‘It reminded me a bit of Reservoir Dogs except this was real life. This is what happens in prison.’

Shock director Quentin Tarantino’s debut movie Reservoir Dogs was associated with a gruesome scene when a gangster cuts off a police officer’s ear.

The source told MailOnline the victim agreed to have a ‘straightener’ [arranged fight] in the high security prison, when the attack took place.

The ear-chopping scene evoked memories of Reservoir  Dogs, when Mr Blond (Michael Madsen) attacked a tie-up police officer

However, an established criminal had allegedly offered money for the victim to be attacked with knife.

The victim was then lured to a secluded area in the prison for then fight, when he was attacked with the prison shank.

Prison bosses confirmed the brutal knife attack happened last month but declined to say where the incident took place. 

Powerful criminals often pay money to gangs to carry out attacks on individuals who have upset them.

Pictured: In the footage the man holds down his victim before hacking at his head with the make-shift weapon

The so-called ‘hits’ mainly relate to disputes within the drug economy but can relate to other issues too.

In some cases criminals will specify the amount of money they have to offer and what injuries they want the victim to suffer.

The most common punishment is for the victim to be slashed across the face, although sometimes the contract will be to blind the victim in one eye.

The attackers often use a shank, which is a homemade knife usually comprised of razor blades and plastic. The blades are melted into the plastic with a flame.

Other punishments involve substances such as acid or hot sugary water being thrown into the victim’s face. This is known as ‘swilling.’

Gang members often carry out the more serious contract violence but sometimes drug addicts agree to carry out jobs.

Tory former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland told MailOnline: ‘Access to knives and other items such as razors that can be fashioned into weapons has to be more strictly controlled in prisons.

‘I pushed for razors to be banned and was glad to see my successor Alex Chalk achieved this. Prisoners should not have access to sharp implements of any description.

‘Whilst I did all that I could to increase funding for prisons, every step to increase safety must be taken, which very much includes the banning of items which can be turned into weapons. It is happening with razors and now it needs to happen in prison kitchens too.’

It comes as around 1,700 prisoners were recently released early as part of a controversial move by the government to ease overcrowding.

People spray a man with sparkling wine after he walked out of HMP Nottingham after the government’s controversial early release of prisoners

A person believed to be a prisoner hides his face as he walks out of HMP Liverpool  as 1,700 prisoners were released early under a government scheme to ease overcrowding

The government has said that offenders serving sentences for serious violent offences with sentences of four years or more and sex offenders have been excluded from the early release scheme.

There are reports that hundreds of the prisoners released after serving just 40% of their sentences were not fitted with electronic tags.

The MoJ has declined to say how many of those released without a tag have a history of violence against women and girls. The Ministry of Justice said the government was holding security contractor Serco to account.

Offenders recently released early from Manchester’s notorious Strangeways prison recently told how drug gangs controlled the wings.

Burglar Karl Wilson, who walked out of HMP Manchester as part of the government’s attempts to reduce overcrowding, said that the drug addicts knew they would be stabbed if they were unable to pay a drug debt.

He said that staff refused to help inmates who owed money to drug gangs.

In July Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood spoke of a prison system on the verge of ‘collapse’ and linked rising violence to overcrowding. 

A Prisons Service Spokesperson said:’ We have a zero-tolerance approach to violence and any prisoner found guilty of wrongdoing will be punished.

‘This matter has been referred to the police and it would be inappropriate to comment at this time.’