Featherstone prisoner threw boiling water over officers

Menelek Thompson threw jugs of water, which had been mixed with sugar, at Michael Wallace and Sharon James in an office at HMP Featherstone, Stafford Crown Court heard.

Thompson worked in the kitchens at the prison and cooked up the solution because he knew it would stick to skin and intensify burns.

The court heard that he had been angry at the time he had spent in his cell that day. Both victims were left with blistering.

Miss James' psychological trauma was so severe that she has lost her £29,000-a-year job at the prison and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the court heard. Miss James said in a statement that the incident had a 'catastrophic' impact on her wellbeing and finances.

She said: "I am constantly on edge. I can't watch TV, don't like to be in confined spaces because I cannot see who is behind me.

"I cannot undertake normal tasks."

Mr Wallace, who has worked at the prison for 26 years, had a week off work and said the premeditated attack on December 3, 2015, had a massive impact on his life.

Judge Michael Chambers QC said he felt Thompson had been 'woefully undercharged' by the Crown Prosecution Service.

But he said he could only sentence Thompson for offences he had admitted at Cannock Magistrates Court last month.

Thompson, 33, is part way through a 99 month jail term for aggravated burglary after he, along with two other men, raided a family's home in Coventry in 2014.

He has since been transferred from HMP Featherstone to HMP Dovegate, near Uttoxeter.

He appeared in court via a video link. For the offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Mr Wallace, he was sentenced to two years.

For common assault against Miss James, Thompson was told he will serve four months.

The sentences were consecutive to each other and will be served when his 99 month sentence is complete.