A young offender hit a fellow inmate over the head with a mallet, a court heard today.

Lee Fenwick, 19, of Haggerston Terrace, Jarrow, hit Jamie Richard Robinson over the head during a woodwork class.

Fenwick was serving a 21 month sentence for wounding in June 2004 at Castington Young Offenders Institute. He had struck a pub-goer in the face with a glass at the Chillingham Arms in Jarrow.

Fenwick said he had suffered bullying at the hands of Robinson in the weeks before the attack and rumours spread that he might get stabbed.

As Robinson presented a piece of wood for cutting to the teacher, Fenwick believed he was armed with a chisel and walked up behind him, swore at him and then struck him with the mallet, leaving a 5cm laceration to the back of his head.

Prosecutor Nick Peacock said: "Threats from third parties saying the complainant was going to stab him. He accepts striking the blow which was in excess of self-defence.

Fenwick complained that Robinson had bullied him at his time at Castington, and had on one occasion thrown a cup of urine over him.

Defence lawyer, John Wilkinson said: "He was bullied because he is the type of person bullies like to pick on, he is perhaps weaker than the others."

"There was the incident with the urine, his training shoes were taken and he had his phone card taken off him.

"He believed the complainant had armed himself with a chisel. He struck him over the head with a mallet and accepts that he was wrong in doing so."

Judge John Milford gave Fenwick, who pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding, a two-year community order and a three-month curfew for the attack.

He said: "An offence of violence within the prison system is a very serious offence and ordinarily would be met with custody but in the circumstances of this case, I will take the recommendations by the defence."