A PRISONER from Newport was moved to a different prison after attacking his friend in their prison cell.

Mold Crown Court heard the two had been friends - but Jamie Garwood was said to be in a bad mood and punched him.

He fell to the floor of his cell where further punches were delivered.

The victim, Lewis Yellen, ended up with a fractured eye socket.

Garwood, 30, from Newport, who had since been transferred from Berwyn prison to Altcourse prison in Liverpool, was jailed for 16 months after he admitted an assault charge.

In that case, the court heard Garwood "punched and kicked" his victim at a Newport house party until she lost consciousness, before hitting her with the ironing board. 

Referring to the assault, Judge Jeremy Jenkins told Garwood: “This was a brutal attack. It was a cowardly attack on a woman who was no match for you.”

In a hearing relating to the attack on his cell mate, the court was told he would have already been released were it not for the incident.

Judge Niclas Parry said it resulted in serious injury.

It was, he said, a sustained attack and the location was an aggravating feature.

"Berwyn prison, like all prisons, depends on order and discipline and violence is a pernicious element of prison life that has to be stamped out," he said.

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Judge Parry said Garwood had an appalling list of previous convictions including serious violence.

But the judge said he took into account his early guilty plea and the fact that he had faced sanctions within the prison system following the attack.

Barrister Dafydd Roberts, prosecuting, said the two men shared a cell and were friends but that day the defendant was said to be in a bad mood for some reason.

He had taken medication the night before.

"The next thing he knew was being struck to the back of the head and he fell to the floor.

"When he came around Garwood was standing above him and was punching him while he was on the floor."

Mr Roberts said the victim was taken to hospital.

In his statement he told how he had a fractured cheek bone and a fractured jaw.

The medical evidence confirmed a fracture of the eye socket.

He had two black eyes and bruising to his head.

One of the medics said he had a rugby-shaped lump on his head.

Garwood, he said, had previous convictions for 70 offences including assault, affray and robbery.

A CCTV was played which showed officers going to the cell and the victim was seen coming out bleeding from his injuries, but the assault took place behind a close door.

Mitigating, barrister Dean Pullen said it was conceded it was an inevitable prison sentence.

He said Garwood had shown remorse for injuring his cellmate who had also been his friend.

"My client accepts he caused him a serious injury," said Mr Pullen.

It was his case that there had been a disagreement and that he over-reacted.

He had already faced sanctions within the prison system because of the assault.

Garwood had been placed in solitary confinement for a time and had also been transferred from HMP Berwyn.

The court heard Garwood had a family in Newport and he wanted to get on with his life and not waste it in prison.