A PRISON inmate who threw a pot of ‘urine’ over the head of a guard before punching him three times and strangling him in a headlock has been jailed for 18 months for the violent attack.

Russell Dixon assaulted the prison officer at Stockton’s Holme house Prison when he became frustrated at not being allowed visit the canteen and the nurse.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 29-year-old had sounded his cell alarm three times but the same prison officer refused to allow him out as there were already too many inmates out of their cells.

Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, said the defendant was eventually let out of his cell by another officer before launching the violent assault on his colleague.

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He said: “The defendant approached him form behind and tipped a bottle of what the officer thought was urine over him and into his face – it went into the officers eyes, ears, and mouth.

“The officer grabbed the defendant’s arm, restrained him, and called for assistance. The defendant did not go quietly, he then punched the officer three times to the head with three swift uppercuts, dazing the officer.

“He then put the officer to the floor in a headlock trying to ‘choke him out’. The officer was afraid he would pass out and was terrified after a large number of inmates had gathered, looking on and urging the defendant not to release the officer.”

The court heard how the prison officer was off work for three weeks after Dixon attempted to ‘throttle him’ and feared for his life. Dixon maintained that it was shower gel he had thrown at the prison officer and not urine.

Mr Newcombe said the defendant had a history of violence and was serving a 20-month sentence at the time of the attack for making threats to kill and possession a weapon.

Dixon, formerly of Dunholme Road, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm following the attack on September 13, 2020.

Lewis Kerr, in mitigation, said his client’s ‘lack of hope’ resulted in the attack as his mental health deteriorated while in custody.

Recorder Ian Mullarkey sentenced Dixon to 18 months in custody for the attack.

“You threw a liquid in the face of a prison officer and then punched and strangled him,” he said.

“Unsurprisingly, the officer concluded that the bottle contained urine.”

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