A PRISONER has been sentenced after trying to ‘gouge the eyes out’ of a fellow prisoner for ‘messing with his food’, a court has heard.

Alexander Gray is currently serving a 68-month sentence at HMP Bullingdon, near Bicester, for a racially aggravated assault.

The 31-year-old was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday (February 8) for another count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after he attacked a fellow inmate on October 25, 2022.

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It was heard that Gray had attacked inmate Jed Denton by punching him several times for allegedly ‘messing with his food’.

Recorder Joseph Hart sentenced Gray to 16 months to run concurrently to his existing sentence.

The court heard that Denton had been speaking to a prison officer in the doorway of a restroom within the prison at about 9.30am when Gray came out of the shower room.

Gray then distracted the officer before launching into an attack against Denton, ‘throwing’ punches at his head until he fell to the floor.

Denton told officers he felt like Gray was ‘trying to gouge his eyes out’ and felt several punches hit his head.

He used a shield to try and protect himself from Gray but the inmate managed to ‘poke’ his fingers in Denton’s eyes.

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The officer and another inmate managed to get Gray off Denton and became ‘quickly compliant’ as he walked back to his cell.

Denton had a suspected fractured nose after the assault and was taken to hospital on the same day but he never attended a follow-up appointment, so the seriousness of the injuries was never established.

It was alleged that he had attacked Denton because he had been ‘messing with his food’. However, Denton claimed he was attacked because he was living on a segregated wing where sex offenders were held.

However, Gray’s defence barrister stated that neither reason was behind the attack and it was noted there was ‘no real reason’ for the incident.

The court heard that Gray has 11 convictions for 21 previous offences. He pleaded guilty at the first opportunity for this offence.

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Sentencing Gray, Recorder Hart said: “There was no obvious reason for the attack. Mr Denton suggested it was because he was housed in a wing with other sex offenders and you thought he was a sex offender.

“I know you have difficulties with autism and I understand you have a family who loves you.

“Your outburst of violence is unacceptable anywhere but even more so in prison where people have nowhere to run.”