Bullying convict put guard in headlock at HMP Ranby

A Ranby prisoner put a guard in a headlock and punched him while he was being moved from his cell because of his bullying behaviour, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.Mansfield Magistrates Court.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.

Luke Adams was told he was being moved to another wing at 9am, on August 28, last year, but refused to “pack up his kit.”

“He was told he was going to be handcuffed and when the officer broke eye contact the defendant lunged at him,” said Robert Carr, prosecuting.

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“He put his arm around his neck and pulled his head down and punched him twice in the head.

“The defendant tried to bite the officer’s thumb as they wrestled on the floor.”

The court heard the senior officer, who has 33 years’ experience, was off work for two weeks with injuries to his neck and knee.

Sarah Neale, mitigating, said Adams, serving “a lengthy custodial sentence”, had experienced violence from officers in the past, so was “extremely defensive” when they came to his cell.

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She said: “He doesn’t accept punching the officer or trying to bite him.”

Since the assault Adams had been kept in segregation in three different prisons, she said.

He had been due for release in March, and hoped to move to Worksop and get a job as a plasterer.

Adams, 26, currently of HMP Leicester, admitted common assault when he appeared before magistrates in Mansfield on Wednesday.

He was given 12 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £115 compensation.

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