Prisoner bit female prison officer in the groin in ‘misogynist’ attack

A “misogynistic” prisoner who had been sent down for dealing class A drugs bit a prison officer’s groin after he refused to return to his cell.

Luke Donoghue, 24, was a serving prisoner at HMP Parc in Bridgend when he assaulted the officer on March 14 and left her feeling “violated”.

The inmate was blatantly disobeying orders made and refused to return to his cell on two occasions after showering and after picking up his lunch, when he was attempting to speak to other prisoners.

When given a warning by the officer, Donoghue responded “I’ll go back in my cell when I want, I’m in control. You’re not strong enough to get me back in my cell.”

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A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard Donoghue had been jailed for three years in 2018 for drug dealing offences but was sentenced to another 54 months imprisonment later that year for a similar offence.

After the defendant refused to return to his cell, the officer called for assistance and when another officer attempted to restrain Donoghue, he said “Bring it on, when you touch me it’s game over”. He was then taken to the floor.

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths said: “In the course of that he bit [the] officer in the groin area. He was kicking out and eventually put back in his cell.”

She later attended A&E at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend where she was treated for a superficial puncture wound. She also had to be tested for hepatitis, HIV and was given a course of antibiotics.

In a victim personal statement, the officer said: “I felt really nervous, Luke’s aggression was building up and I felt anxious about what was going to happen… He was really agressive and wouldn’t listen to me.

“I felt something sharp in my private area and felt like I was in a daze. I knew I was injured and had to come out of the situation… It was in such a private area I felt violated and shocked. It violated my private space and it was also bleeding. I felt disgusted.”

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Donoghue, now of HMP Doncaster, later pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker.

Defence barrister Hilary Roberts said his client felt the actions against him in the prison were unnecessary but he now felt sorry for the distress he had caused the victim.

Sentencing, Judge Richard Williams said: “This was a direct challenge to good order… Your attack against [the] officer reflected misogyny and you acted towards her in the way you did because she was a woman.”

Donoghue was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, consecutive to his current sentence.

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