A sex offender who objected to sharing his cell with another prisoner at Risley Prison raped him, a court heard.
Rahmijah Hindes’ victim told prison staff at HMP Risley in Warrington the next morning of his ordeal and Hindes has now been sentenced to six years and three months.
A judge ruled that the 24-year-old poses a high risk of re-conviction and re-offending and imposed a five-year extended licence.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Hindes was in jail serving 45 months for a sex attack on a 17-year-old woman who was walking home alone.
After following her, drunken Hindes threw her to the ground and rammed her head into a fence, injuring her, got on top of her and forced his hand down her pants.
Fortunately, her screams led to him running off, said Simon Christie, prosecuting.
Sentencing homeless Hindes, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said that the attack on the prisoner, who was intimidated by the physically larger defendant, was considered by the probation service as a “worrying escalation” in the seriousness of his offending.
She said that the offence happened in December, after the victim, who had been jailed for indecent image offences, were both in the vulnerable victim wing at Risley prison.
“He was placed in the same cell overnight and you told police that you did not want to be in the cell with him. You are physically bigger than him and he felt intimidated by you.”
She said that Hindes had taken an illicit substance and was sexually aroused when he committed the offence.
When interviewed Hindes denied any sexual contact with the complainant but incriminating forensic evidence was found on swabs from the victim.
He was then re-arrested on February 1, the day he was due for release from his sentence. He claimed they had had consensual sex.
Impact statements from the victim told of “immense” emotional effect on him and his family and he was left “wary, anxious and frightened and suffering nightmares for a number of months.”
He had to wait to see if he had contracted a sexual infection from Hindes, which fortunately he did not, but meanwhile, the medicine he had to take made him feel sick.
Hindes pleaded not guilty to rape and had been due to face trial but changed his plea to guilty.
Judge Pierpoint said, “You focussed on satisfying your own needs and you lacked self-control. You prioritised your own needs not caring about the effects of others.
“Despite the fact you carried out a sex offenders treatment programme while in prison you still went on to offend in a sexual way.”
She ordered the defendant to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and imposed a life-long restraining order.
Philip Tully, defending, said that Hindes, who has previous convictions including robbery, had not engineered for the victim to be in his cell and it had not been a premeditated offence,
“He accepts it would have been frightening for the complainant and to his credit it is quite clear he has shown remorse and insight.”
Hindes, who suffers from ADHD, anxiety and depression “accepts he deserves to be punished,” said Mr Tully.
