Indefinite jail after attack on guard

A FORMER taxi driver who was serving a six-year jail term for deliberately driving his cab at two men has been given an indefinite prison sentence for public protection after hitting a prison officer over the head with a table leg.

Kingsley Morrisey, 57, smashed furniture in a segregation cell at Suffolk's Highpoint Prison and used it to barricade himself in, Ipswich Crown court heard.

He was then seen sitting on a chair in the cell with a broken table leg on his lap, said David Wilson prosecuting.

Prison officer Anthony Eddy armed himself with a shield and forced his way into the cell. As he did so he slipped on debris on the floor and fell back on his hand. He was then struck across the top of the head with a table leg by Morrisey.

“He managed to get himself back on his feet and felt a large amount of blood coming form his head and moved out of the cell,” said Mr Wilson.

Mr Eddy went to West Suffolk Hospital where he was found to have a five centimetre long cut on the top of his head which was glued together.

Mr Eddy, whose wife was pregnant at the time of the incident had four weeks off work recovering from the injury.

Morrisey, formerly of Dalham Road, Ousden near Newmarket admitted wounding Mr Eddy with intent to do him grievous bodily harm on March 18, 2007.

Passing a sentence for public protection, Judge Neil McKittrick said he was satisfied Morrisey posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public.

He imposed a five-year prison term for the attack on Mr Eddy and told Morrisey he would not be considered for release by the parole board until he had served at least two and a half years.

The court heard that in 2005 Morrisey was jailed for six years and banned from driving for five years after being found guilty by a jury of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and an offence of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The court heard that in 2004 Morrisey picked up six passengers in his cab in Bury St Edmunds and there had been an argument after one of the passengers ignored his request for no food to be eaten in the cab.

Morrisey had stopped his cab in the middle of nowhere and after all the passengers had got out he had turned round and had driven at them.

One man spent two weeks in hospital after the incident, including time in intensive care. He went through a number of operations leaving him with extensive scarring on his arm, abdomen and neck and needing four and a half months off work.

Morrisey had then driven at another man in the group causing a foot injury which meant he could not walk properly for six weeks.

Greg Perrins for Morrisey said his client had no recollection of the incident in 2004 or the incident involving the prison officer.

He had undergone tests and had seen a psychiatrist but nothing had shown up which would have provided a defence to the attack on Mr Eddy.

Mr Perrins said Morrisey had been of good character until he was 47. He had been married for 29 years but his marriage had ended since he had been jailed in 2005.

Mr Perrins said Morrisey kept himself to himself in prison and spent 24 hours a day in his cell.