A jail inmate who twice assaulted a prison officer at Risley after refusing to go back to his cell received another sentence of imprisonment today. (Thur)
But after hearing that Daniel See has reached a “pivotal” time in his life and is caring for his sick mum a judge gave him a final chance by suspending the term.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that the incidents happened in HMP Risley Prison on March 26 last year after See refused to return to his cell and ran off.
He ran onto a staircase pursued by officers and during a struggle, captured on a body worn camera, he pushed against one of them, Mathew Johnson who stumbled down the stairs.
Other officers succeeded in handcuffing See and took him back to his cell, said Iain Criddle, prosecuting,
Once there they took his handcuffs off and See, who was making threats including, ‘I’ll f…..ing crack you,’ punched Mr Johnson to the face but not with full force.
See grabbed him by the collar and said, ‘I’ve got hold of you by the shirt. I’m not letting you go.’
However he did let go when other officers intervened and See, who was spitting, was restrained, said Mr Criddle.
He said that fortunately the officer did not suffer any injuries but needed to calm down after the incident “and was appalled by what happened that day.”
Mr Criddle said, “He has a history of violence and violence against people in authority.”
See, aged 32, of Thorn Road, Runcorn, pleaded guilty to two offences of assaulting an emergency worker. An allegation of strangulation was dropped.
The court heard that See has 51 previous convictions for 99 separate offences including violence including assaulting emergency workers.
Sarah Griffin, defending, said that the offences crossed the custody threshold but asked the judge not to send him straight to jail as there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.
“The author of the pre-sentence said finally he has re-evaluated his life and describes it as a pivotal moment.
“He is providing care for his mother, who has health difficulties, and he takes great pride in the care he gives his mother,” she said.
“He has stopped using cannabis as he realises it leads to his offending,” she added.
See, who is on medication for depression and anxiety, has a 15-year-old daughter, said Miss Griffin.
Sentencing See to seven months imprisonment suspended for 18 months Judge David Potter said, “You are back before the courts for the umpteenth time.
“You have been before the court many times for offences including assaulting emergency workers.”
Judge Potter pointed out, “Those who carry out important functions including prison officers can expect to go about their business without being subject to assault such as this officer sustained on this occasion.”
He ordered See to carry out 25 days rehabilitation activities and imposed a curfew between 9 – 7 am for 12 weeks.
