Three inmates took part in 'serious disruption' at Deerbolt

Cameron Parkin, Leo Sharkey and Jordan Everington all joined in the reprisal attack on the older inmate during an association period at Deerbolt, now operating as both a young offenders’ institution and a prison, near Barnard Castle.

Four other inmates have already been sentenced at Durham Crown Court for their parts in the choreographed attack, in a recreation room, during an association period on B-Wing, on January 27, last year.

On a given signal, of a paper cup being hit over the intended victim's head, the attack began as he was about to play a shot while playing pool.

He was kicked and punched and had the pool table shoved into him after he fell to the floor.

The sustained attack, which briefly paused with a lull, picked up again before staff intervened to break it up completely.

The court was previously told that as one of the first intake of older prisoners, the victim was accused of bullying behaviour towards some of the younger inmates in the establishment.

Although he did not assist with the investigation into the incident, it was captured on CCTV covering the recreation room, enabling prosecutors to establish the roles played by the perpetrators.

All those involved pleaded guilty to a joint charge of violent disorder.

David Ward, for 24-year-old Parkin, said he accepted in interview that while not the first, he was among the next attackers to join in the assault, readily accepting that it was him on the CCTV footage capturing the incident.

Mr Ward said the defendant is serving a seven-year sentence for robbery imposed in September 2021 and his earliest date for release on licence from that sentence is in October this year.

He added that since the incident the defendant has fared well in prison, achieving various qualifications and if he keeps away from his criminally-minded peers upon his eventual release he may be able to go on to become a useful member of society.

John Nixon, for 21-year-old Sharkey, said he, too, was serving a sentence for robbery and other offences, in his case for up to nine years and six months in total, but he is also engaging in education classes available to him in prison.

Brian Russell, for 21-year-old Everington, accepted his client has, “a pretty poor record for someone not yet 22", and is serving a 57-month sentence for aggravated burglary imposed in July 2020.

Mr Russell said the defendant was released on licence midway through that sentence but has been recalled to prison due to other incidents.

“He’s a young man who seems to struggle to avoid getting into a fight when there’s one on offer.”

Mr Russell added: “He’s on recall, at the moment, and has been told he’ll be released in April next year.”

Judge Nathan Adams, who has dealt with the other four inmates already sentenced, told the final trio that they took part in what was, “serious disruption in a prison environment.”

The judge said: “What appeared to have been a minor scuffle was a sign for other inmates to also start to attack the victim, landing repeated blows and kicks, which, even after being partly broken up, flared up again until prison staff established order.”

He said these three defendants, as with the previous four sentenced, “all have records for serious offending, despite their young ages”.

Parkin and Everington were sentenced to 22-month prison sentences and Sharkey received an extra 20-months.

But the judge said the sentences on Parkin and Sharkey, who are both from Teesside, would be consecutive to the sentences they are already serving and so will only begin at the conclusion of their existing jail terms.

In the case of Everington, who is from South Hetton, in County Durham, as he is on recall, his 22-month sentence will be served concurrently with the time he is already spending behind bars.