A PRISON nurse left traumatised after witnessing a mentally-ill inmate disembowel himself with a broken coffee jar has won her claim for damages.

Pauline Stewart suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after being exposed to what a judge described as a "gothic horror" at High Down Prison, Surrey.

The bloodbath she witnessed in the cell was so gruesome, two hardened prison officers had to flee the scene to vomit, leaving 55-year-old Mrs Stewart alone with the terrified inmate, Geoffrey Holden.

Newcastle-born Mrs Stewart, who began her career at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, argued that Prison Service negligence had exposed her to the trauma.

Despite his history of self-mutilation, Mr Holden was able to buy the jar from the prison shop, said the judge at Central London County Court.

Speaking after the hearing yesterday, Frank Rogers, Mrs Stewart's solicitor, said it was a landmark verdict for professional rescuers and prison officers.

He said: "Many people in the Prison Service have been exposed to horrific situations through the negligence of the Home Office, but have been unable to mount a claim."

Mrs Stewart said: "I have flashbacks. I can't watch anything that is violent on the television."

Discussions about costs and damages will take place in June.