Ranby prisoner realised ‘picking fights with guards is never going to end well’

Mansfield Magistrates’ Court heard Keegan Hodgson hit the guard in the back of his head as he spoke to another prisoner in his cell, on May 3, at about at 4pm

Lottie Tyler, prosecuting, said the guard pushed him away and asked: “What are you doing?”

Hodgson, aged 24, threw another punch to the left side of the guard’s face and the prisoner in his cell told him to move away.

More guards took him to the ground and he was handcuffed. The guard was left with bruises and reddening after the completely “unprovoked” attack.

The court heard Hodgson, who has five previous convictions for seven offences, was jailed in June 2020 for inflicting grievous bodily harm and will not be released until April 2023.

Hodgson admitted assault.

Geoff Flemming, mitigating, said: "He instantly realised the folly of what he had done. He realises picking a fight with prisoner officers is never going to end well."

He said Hodgson, now of HMP Lowdham Grange, Nottinghamshire, was “usually complaint”, but went through a ’bad patch in the months before the offence,

Mr Flemming said Hodgson is “looking forward to leading a constructive, law abiding life when he gets out”.

He said: “I would ask you to pass the shortest sentence you can, commensurate with what you have heard.”

Hodgson was jailed for eight weeks, to run concurrently with the sentence he is serving. He was also ordered to pay £250 compensation.