A 29-year-old inmate, who attempted to kill a member of prison staff, will spend another two decades in jail.
In February 2020, at HMP Onley, the man approached a prison officer from behind and used an improvised weapon to slash him across the neck.
He was eventually restrained, but continued to make slashing motions towards the officer.
A search of the prisoner's cell uncovered another improvised weapon.
While his victim did not sustain any serious physical injuries, the attack left him psychologically scarred. In a statement, he said, 'the incident has affected me mentally. I think about what happened all the time and how lucky I was that he didn’t manage to hurt me physically more than he did. It has totally knocked me. I didn’t realise how much, but when I drive to and from work now I have times during my commute that I feel as though I can’t breathe'.
For the attempted murder, the man was sentenced to life imprisonment. For an assault on another prison officer a month earlier, he received a one-month term, to run concurrently. In total he must serve a minimum of 19 years, 4 months in jail.
In her sentencing remarks, the judge commended the prison officer involved for his 'outstanding commitment and courage in returning to work after such a terrifying incident'.