A former prisoner has admitted assaulting a prison officer during a disturbance at HMP Portland earlier this year.
Matthew Shaw, 24, appeared before Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker following an incident on 24 March 2025.
Prosecutor details told the court that Shaw had been heard planning to cause a disturbance earlier in the day and had been repeatedly breaching prison rules. During the incident, he climbed onto the safety netting inside one of the prison wings.
As officers attempted to bring him back over, Shaw swung out at Prison Officer Stephen Jolliffe, with at least one blow striking the officer in the face.
A statement from Officer Jolliffe, read in court, described how he was headbutted, suffered a wound to the stomach, a cut above his left eye, a black eye, and was repeatedly kicked during the altercation. He said the incident left him feeling vulnerable, and he required several days off work to recover.
Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order, including 15 days of rehabilitation activities. Shaw was also ordered to pay £500 compensation to the officer and a £114 surcharge.
The judge told Shaw that he was “very fortunate not to be returning to custody,” noting that the court had taken into account his mental health difficulties, his positive probation reports, and his ongoing community work teaching children karate.
Image Credit: © Ian Capper / Geograph — Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
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