Wick prisoner broke officer's finger during disturbance in cell

Prison officers wearing riot gear rushed to 'A Hall' at the Inverness facility where two inmates had taken drugs and their cell was being trashed.

Inverness Sheriff Court was told on Tuesday that one officer was seriously injured and over £2000 worth of damage was caused, taking the cell out of use for some time.

Appearing via video link from HMP Porterfield and HMP Barlinne were 36-year-old Skye man Russell Mackinnon of Riverbank, Broadford, and Wick man Morgan Stubbings (23), of Murchison Street.

Mackinnon admitted that on November 15, 2021, he maliciously smashed a window and a table of his cell, causing other damage including to the cell door.

Stubbings pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour towards prison officers, shouting and swearing and throwing bricks at them. He also admitted culpable and reckless conduct causing serious injury when he kicked a cell door and broke a prison officer's finger.

Mackinnon was jailed for 11 months, backdated to November 26, and Stubbings was imprisoned for 18 months, backdated to November 23.

Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald told both men: "Security, safety and discipline is very important and that it is kept in the prison environment. You breached it in a violent way."

Fiscal depute David Morton told the court: "Both men were cellmates and about 2pm on November 15, prison officers became aware of a disturbance in a cell.

"Russell Mackinnon was deliberately damaging the cell and attempting to barricade themselves in. Prison officers in riot gear were called and attempted to remove them.

"One officer placed his hand on the cell door to prise it open but Stubbings kicked it shut and the officer's index finger was broken. He was on restricted duties for five weeks. Stubbings continued to shout and swear and throw bricks at the officers."

Stubbings' solicitor Graham Mann told the sheriff that his client had admitted to "partaking in the pretty widespread misuse of substances which were circulating at that time in the prison".

"He accepts his behaviour was unacceptable in the extreme. He has only been at liberty for four or five weeks since 2020 and usually has a good relationship with prison staff. He has not been in any further trouble since."

Mackinnon's lawyer Pat Campbell said: "It was a relatively limited episode which was quickly brought under control."