Prison officers were attacked by an inmate who began to trash his cell because he wasn’t coping with life inside.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that staff in riot gear were called to 27-year-old Michael Stewart’s cell on March 4 2022 when he began destroying property there.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver told Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald: “He began smashing up his cell and said he was in possession of a weapon.
“Prison officers were instructed to enter the cell and restrain him. They were kitted out in Personal Protection Equipment, helmets and shields.
“He threw a light fitting at them and then was punching and kicking out.
“One prison officer was repeatedly punched but was not injured due to her wearing PPE.”
Stewart admitted malicious damage and assault.
‘A very frightening experience’
Defence solicitor Willie Young said: “He was struggling with prison conditions at the time. He accepts his conduct was inappropriate.”
Mr Young added that his client was currently serving a sentence for breaching a community payback order and his earliest release date was January 31 next year.
He asked the sheriff not to impose a jail sentence which would interfere with that date.
Jailing Stewart for five months to start immediately, Sheriff Macdonald told him: “It must have been a very frightening experience, even for the professional officers.”
