Corpse-sex threat prisoner Richard Ford ‘has very low IQ’

A prisoner who threatened to kill a number of people and have sex with their corpses is appealing against his 45-year sentence on the basis of his "extraordinarily low IQ".

Richard Ford, 39, was serving a 30-month sentence for possessing a knife when he made the threats from his cell at HMP Nottingham.

The judge said Ford was handed the 45-year term as he was "highly dangerous".

His barrister has argued for a cut in his sentence at the Court of Appeal.

Ford, who has spent most of the past 14 years in jail, passed a series of notes to prison officers in January 2016.

The potential victims named in the notes included several prison officers, a fellow inmate, a district judge, a police officer and a former partner.

The following December, at Lincoln Crown Court, Judge Michael Heath accepted that the 45-year term would be "controversial", but said it was necessary to protect the public.

On Thursday, defence lawyer Sam Robinson said it should have been under 10 years.

He said Ford was a man of "extraordinarily low IQ", who had "mixed motives" in committing his offences.

Mr Robinson said he had become "institutionalised", having been in prison for other offences, and committed crimes in order to stay in jail.

When released from a previous sentence, he called 999 in order to report that he was a danger to others, said the barrister.

"His mixed motive is to ensure that he remains in custody," he told a panel of five judges.

"However, the role of a sentencing judge is to pass a just sentence."

The judges reserved judgment on Ford's appeal until a later date.