Prisoner's violent attack on guard adds jail time

A prisoner who violently attacked a guard, putting him in hospital with life-threatening injuries, has been given seven-and-a-half more years in jail.

Daouda Sy, 28, turned on the prison officer at HMP Dovegate in January 2023 after an altercation with another inmate, refusing to return to his cell when asked.

The officer's face, right eye, head and neck were hurt in the attack, Staffordshire Police said, and Sy was found guilty of wounding with intent following a trial last December.

He refused to appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for sentencing via video-link on Tuesday, but was handed the increased jail term in his absence, with an extended licence period of five years.

Sy, formerly of Redditch, was previously jailed for 12 years for attacking a man with a machete in Sheffield in 2019 while high on spice.

In 2022, he was further convicted of another prison officer assault, police said.

The inmate was moved from the prison in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, to another site after his most recent attack.

Staffordshire Police prison crime investigator Aimi Hanlon said: "Sy launched this violent, unprovoked and sustained attack on the officer who was merely trying to do his job.

"Everyone deserves to feel safe at their place of work and prison officers are no different.

"I am pleased that Sy has been handed a significant additional custodial sentence for his offending, and hope this shows how we will continue to pursue individuals intent on violence whether they're out in the community or behind bars."

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