Redditch inmate joked about 'tiger claw' nails after brutal prison officer assault
A violent inmate from Redditch who joked his nails were like "tiger claws" has been sentenced for a brutal attack on a prison officer that left the victim scarred and traumatised.
Daouda Sy, 28, launched the assault while already serving a 12-year sentence for a previous machete attack, leaving the officer with serious injuries to his face, neck, and ear at HMP Dovegate near Uttoxeter in Staffordshire.
Violent incident caught on CCTV
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how the attack occurred on January 28, 2023, when the prison officer responded to an argument between Sy and another inmate on the F wing. After attempting to calm the situation, the officer asked Sy multiple times to return to his cell before using a "spear strike" push when he sensed a threat.
Prosecutor Emily Woodside described how Sy then grabbed the officer and subjected him to a violent thrashing to his neck and head. The entire incident was captured on CCTV footage, though no weapon was ever found.
Officer's traumatic injuries
The victim suffered multiple lacerations requiring medical glue treatment and sustained an eye injury that could have resulted in permanent vision loss. In a statement read to the court, the officer said he felt "lucky to be alive" and described this as the worst violence he had experienced in his 16-year career.
Judge Graeme Smith noted the injuries took considerable time to heal and were considered "very dangerous" by medical staff, forcing the victim to take 16 weeks off work and transfer to a different department.
Judge condemns 'extremely dangerous' individual
Sentencing Sy to an additional 12-and-a-half years in prison, Judge Smith rejected the defendant's claim of self-defence as "blatantly untrue" and described him as "an extremely dangerous individual who is considered as high risk to almost all categories of person inside and outside of prison."
The judge highlighted how Sy had joked about his nails being like "tiger claws" during proceedings, noting the difficulty in understanding exactly how the injuries were inflicted given no weapon was recovered.
Significant impact and deportation
Judge Smith emphasised the attack's "significant impact" on the victim's mental health that persisted three years later, aggravated by the fact it targeted an emergency worker within a prison environment.
The court heard Sy is due to be deported following his sentence, with Judge Smith noting he "would've already been deported if it wasn't for this case." The extended sentence was imposed to protect the public from what the judge determined was a "significant risk" of causing serious harm in the future.
