A SERVING prisoner at HMP Isle of Wight who punched a prison officer in the face, claimed he got frustrated at being put in a substandard cell as a victim of mistaken identity with a similarly named inmate. 

Jack Williams admitted assaulting an emergency worker, namely a prison officer, by beating, while he was acting in the exercise of his duty, in the Parkhurst wing on June 12 last year, when he appeared by video link at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court last Friday, January 5.

Following a dispute with the victim about being sacked from his prison job, because of something "another Jack Williams" allegedly did wrong, the 26-year-old became angry at being told to return to his cell and punched his face multiple times, said Lauren Stone, prosecuting.

The prison officer suffered a black eye, a swollen cheek, blurred vision and dizziness and attended A&E at St Mary's Hospital in Newport.

The officer has complained of headaches since.

For Williams, Henry Farley said his client had expressed remorse for his actions, but felt frustrated by his harsh treatment and lost his temper.

Magistrates jailed Williams — a serving prisoner since 2016 — for ten weeks, to run concurrently with his existing term, with an order to pay a £154 surcharge.