The prisoner, Daniel Steer, 41, of Mill Street, St Peter Port, admitted assaulting two prison officers on separate occasions in 2024 when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court.
The court was told how Steer had been moved to a separate unit following previous incidents in his cell. On one occasion he had barricaded himself and another prisoner in the cell.
In relation to the first assault, he had ripped a light fitting from the ceiling and was threatening to harm himself with it. He was standing on his bed, having ripped off his prison clothing.
He ignored the prison officer’s instructions to stop, and the officer took the view that he had to quickly intervene.
He entered the cell but as he did so he slipped on some food on the floor, and in a melee that followed, the defendant bit the officer on his armpit.
A month later, a different officer was asked to attend quickly after Steer had ‘kicked off’ during an adjudication hearing.
He had turned a table upside down before biting the officer on his hand.
Defending, Advocate Samuel Steel said both matters were now more than a year old. The first had happened when his client had a mental health crisis and he was ashamed of his actions. He wished to offer full apologies, particularly to the prison officers who he had got on very well with.
He had worked hard to stabilise since he was released from prison and had engaged with the Independence charity. His family was supportive of him.
Judge Gary Perry said it was pleasing to read in the probation report that the defendant had been trying to sort his life out and that some good work had to be done. But he said he had to balance that against the seriousness of these offences and a very poor previous record.
‘People like you must test the police’s patience on a daily basis,’ he said.
Steer was returned to prison for four months, consecutive, on each offence.