Teenagers sentenced for seriously injuring prison officer in attack at Bridgend young offenders unit
Video Credit: Media Wales\CPS
Two teenagers have been sentenced after a mass brawl in a young offenders unit seriously injured a prison guard. With the victim's consent, the Crown Prosecution Service has released the footage of Finley Phillips and Marzin Moshen repeatedly punching and stamping on the officer during the attack at Bridgend Prison HMP Parc's young offender unit.Newport Crown Court heard Phillips, then 16, and Moshen, then 17, were sitting at tables in a communal area of the young offender unit on the morning of 18 July 2021, when a melee broke out among inmates.
The court heard it was triggered by an inmate striking Phillips in the face.
Ryan Young, who was a physical training officer as well as a prison guard, tried to break up the fight.
Prosecutor Abigail Jackson said: "Mr Young was restraining one of the males on the floor. His last recollection of the incident was, while he was on the floor, sustaining a number of blows to the head before becoming unconscious.
"Finley Phillips can be seen on CCTV punching Mr Young to the head before stamping on him."Marzin Moshen becomes involved in the incident once Mr Young is already somewhat incapacitated on the floor.
"He can clearly be seen stamping on the head of Mr Young. Both Mr Phillips and Mr Moshen were intending to injure another male prisoner but injured Mr Young himself."Eventually, other prison officers managed to stop the brawl.
Mr Young was found lying down, dipping in and out of consciousness. He was taken to A&E where a cut on his left eye was treated with glue and paper stitches.
He struggled with a delayed concussion and was unable to return to work for eight weeks.
He was also left with scarring to his eye. Since the attack, he has struggled to sleep and has undergone cognitive behavioural therapy for the trauma.
The attack caused concern to his family including his young son, the court heard.
"It's a very challenging environment to work in. The support of my colleagues was invaluable to my recovery. We're like one big family. It was not nice for them to witness what had happened and have to carry on. I can't thank everyone who helped me enough." said Mr YoungPhillips, of Gatcombe Road in Hartcliffe, Bristol, admitted grievous bodily harm (GBH) over the prison wounding. Moshen, of Alexandra Road in Newport, admitted actual bodily harm (ABH).Moshen's barrister Joshua Scouller said Moshen had issues with maturity, cognitive ability and impulsiveness. "He was closer in mental age to someone who would have been 15, if not younger, at the time of the [prison] offence.
He added: "His involvement was rather more fleeting than Mr Phillips'."Phillips' barrister Ian Morrell said: "Initially he believed he was suffering an attack and acted in self-defence against Mr Young.
"That, in large measure, perhaps explains why there was a delay in him pleading guilty to the offence. Mr Phillips has apologised to Mr Young, with whom he had and still has an affable relationship."The judge, Recorder David Elias KC, noted that Mr Young had been stamped on "very hard".
He sentenced Moshen to 26 months in a young offender institution and Phillips to 16 months in a young offender institution.