Shropshire prison attack trial: Alleged victim 'always on Black Mamba'
A man accused of attacking a fellow inmate told a jury that the alleged victim was “not a model prisoner”.
Mitchell Downes, aged 26, suffered a collapsed lung during the incident at Stoke Heath Prison, near Market Drayton, on April 4 last year.
Inmates Paul Woods, aged 28, and Steven Fletcher, aged 22, allegedly punched and kicked Downes in his cell after they realised that he had requested a transfer to another prison due to drugs activity on their wing.
Giving evidence at a trial at Shrewsbury Crown Court, Woods told the jury that although Downes was given a cleaning job inside, he was a regular drug user.
He was asked by his defence barrister Mr Trevor Meeghan if Mr Downes was a “model prisoner”.
Woods replied: “Not really. Everyday he was on Mamba. Every time you saw him, that’s all he ever spoke about was Mamba. If he had the money he would get it.
“It’s quite common in prison. They get it from visitors and officers.”
Woods told the court he could not recall what he was doing on the day of the alleged incident, but he recalled seeing Mr Downes using a mobile phone which is banned in prisons, along with illicit drug use.
“I remember going upstairs to see Fletcher in his cell. I remember Mr Downes being on his phone in there. He was arguing with somebody about money. Fletcher looked at him and said he’d been smoking. He told him to get out, but he wasn’t being rude to him.
“I went to my cell and lay down for about 10 minutes,” Woods said.
He added that the next time he saw the victim he appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
Woods told the court that the prevalence of the synthetic drug Black Mamba had changed the prison environment as addicts sometimes suffered blackouts or fits, resulting in other inmates being locked in their cells for several hours while staff dealt with incidents dubbed “Mamba attacks”.
Mr Downes alleged that he was kicked and punched by Fletcher, of Lancashire, and Woods, of Liverpool, resulting in injuries including a collapsed lung.
The court heard that Mr Downes had used cabinets from his cell to barricade himself in after word got around that he had spoken to staff about moving.
Earlier he told the jury that at the time of the alleged incident he was due to be released and did not want to risk getting more time in jail.
The defendants are accused of forcing their way into his cell and attacking him.
They both deny causing him grievous bodily harm with intent.
The trial continues.
