Khalid Mohamed, 45, slashed his cell mate's face with a plastic fork in an unprovoked attack at HMP Durham. The victim suffered a facial laceration after Mohamed dragged the modified fork down his cheek twice.
Attack during prayer time
On October 10 last year, the victim went to the prison chapel for prayer. Mohamed commented he had "no problems with Albanians" before suddenly attacking. Prosecutor Emma Dowling said: "He suddenly got up and began to attack [the victim] with a plastic fork." The middle two prongs of the fork had been removed.
Prison staff intervened and restrained Mohamed. During a search, officers found a tuna tin lid folded into a blade shape, though it was not used in the assault. Mohamed was already serving a 12-month sentence for knife possession and assault of an emergency worker.
Previous convictions and sentencing
Mohamed had prior convictions for violence and weapons possession. His defence lawyer, Paul Cleasby, said Mohamed "comes from a difficult background" and suffers from complex PTSD and mental health issues. He described the victim's injuries as "relatively minor."
Recorder Toby Hedworth sentenced Mohamed to 58 weeks in prison. Mohamed remains at HMP Durham.
