A Welsh sex offender who head-butted a prison officer who was escorting him back to his cell has been told to pay the emergency worker £300 compensation.
Ethan Owen, 30, of HMP Parc in Bridgend, admitted assault by beating of an emergency worker when he appeared – via video link – at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Lauren Stone, prosecuting, told the court that on 15th October 2023 officers patrolling House Block 15 at HMP Isle of Wight noticed that Owen was on the landing area associating with other prisoners, something he is not allowed to do because of his ‘basic’ prison status.
Owen was told to go back to his cell and he initially cooperated with prison staff, before becoming aggressive towards them shouting ‘these 2 officers are trying to bang me up’ and ‘come here you big bald c**t’.
The 30-year-old then proceeded to head-butt the officer on the side of his head, causing him immediate pain.
In a victim impact statement read aloud in court, the officer said how he knows the risks associated with the job but that being assaulted ‘shouldn’t be normalised’.
At the time of the offence, Owen was in prison serving a part of a 4-year sentence.
Defending Owen, Michael McGoldrick told the court that his client had already been reprimanded by prison staff, spending a total of 4 weeks in the segregation unit. He also added that Owen was unaware of what his basic status meant in terms of his association and cell hours at the weekend.
Magistrates ordered Owen – who is currently in custody having been recalled to prison following an earlier release – to pay a compensation of £300 to the emergency worker.
