A CONVICT who stabbed his grandfather 30 times smuggled a phone into his prison cell and took selfies for a social media account.

Colin Edwards was jailed over the “frenzied attack” on Brian Blake in Haywards Heath.

He was in prison at HMP Standford Hill on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, serving a term for attempted murder, where he set up an Instagram account showing selfies in his cell.

Under the account colinedwards400 he wrote how he was “almost there now”.

Mr Blake and his wife Denise said they would “always love” Edwards, who lived with them at the time of the stabbing in 2008.

The Prisons Service said Edwards, now believed to be 36 years old, has had his Instagram account shut down and the mobile phone seized.

Colin Edwards inside his prison cell at HMP Standford Hill, Kent

Colin Edwards inside his prison cell at HMP Standford Hill, Kent

Images from his cell show the bearded prisoner lying in bed posing for selfies.

Other images posted showed his interest in predatory big cats, including an image of a tiger prowling on a rock in front of what appears to be a Japanese red sun.

Edwards also shared a picture of his interest in Drum’n’bass music with an adapted London Underground logo, and one image also shows him posing in front of a collection of record labels on a wall.

Colin Edwards inside his prison cell at HMP Standford Hill, Kent

Colin Edwards inside his prison cell at HMP Standford Hill, Kent

In February 2009, The Argus reported how care worker Denise Blake returned home from work to find her husband Brian barely alive.

He had been stabbed and slashed more than 30 times in a frenzied attack by their grandson Colin Edwards.

In a statement Mrs Blake said he would always be loved by her family.

She said: “Colin did a terrible thing to his granddad which we will never understand.

“As a result of that he will never be able to return to our home.

“Despite all this we believe that what he did was out of character and he will always be loved as part of the family.”

Colin Edwards inside his prison cell at HMP Standford Hill, Kent

Colin Edwards inside his prison cell at HMP Standford Hill, Kent

Edwards, then aged 24, was jailed indefinitely for the attempted murder of his then 64-year-old grandfather.

Judge David Rennie, now retired, told him he will not be released until he is considered to no longer be a danger to the public.

Edwards lived with his grandparents at Brentswood Close, Haywards Heath and pleaded guilty to attempting to murder Mr Blake at their home on March 21, 2008.

At Hove Crown Court Judge Rennie ruled Edwards was a danger to the public.

If he had imposed a fixed sentence, it would have been 11-and-a-half years, the judge said.

The court was told it would be at least five years and nine months before Edwards could be considered for parole.

But now more than 12 years on, he remains behind bars. The sentence passed meant that Edwards will not be released until the Parole Board considers he is no longer a danger to the public.

Edwards had been released on licence from prison from an earlier affray where he attacked his grandfather.

Colin Edwards inside his prison cell at HMP Standford Hill, Kent

Colin Edwards inside his prison cell at HMP Standford Hill, Kent

On the day of the stabbing Edwards had stolen Mr Blake's car and crashed it and it is believed the stabbing happened after they argued over his grandfather making a statement to the police.

Edwards had previous convictions for violence and making threats to kill.

Mr Blake had been watching the television alone when Colin Edwards came in and wanted to have a drink.

He did not want to have a second drink, but Edwards did. As Mr Blake got out of his chair he was attacked.

Edwards struck his grandfather over the head and face, and Mr Blake lost consciousness, but remembered his grandson saying “I love you granddad” at the same time he was stabbing him,

Mr Blake, then a bricklayer, was left with memory and speech problems, but at the time it was reported that he made a good recovery.

The Prisons Service said: “Prisoners found with mobile phones will be punished and can face extra time behind bars.

“A phone has been seized, the account will be taken down and we’re spending £100m to bolster security.”

It is now understood Edwards has been placed on report and will be moved back into closed conditions.

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