A convicted killer will serve an additional four years in prison after attacking a fellow inmate, slashing the neck of the so-called 'Godfather of Newcastle' with a blade fashioned from prison cutlery.
Attack at HMP Frankland
Donald Gaote-Oueyeya, 26, launched the attack on John Henry Sayers at HMP Frankland in County Durham in April last year. Sayers suffered a seven-centimetre cut to his neck, a five-centimetre wound to his forehead, and a two-centimetre cut to his right ring finger. The weapon was never recovered.
Gaote-Oueyeya was already serving a life sentence for killing a 17-year-old boy in a gang attack in Wandsworth, London, when he was also 17. The court heard that he attacked Sayers after hearing that Sayers had 'put a contract out' on him.
Prison officer injured
A prison officer was also injured in the fracas while trying to intervene, sustaining cuts to his right arm and eye. The court heard that Gaote-Oueyeya did not intend to harm the officer and was sorry for his involvement. In a victim impact statement, the officer said: 'I still think about the incident. Although I haven't really been back to work properly since, I can't really put it into context the true impact of it yet but it does make me think more about the job.'
Mitigation and sentence
In mitigation, Christopher Dunn said there was no excuse for Gaote-Oueyeya's actions but there was a 'price on his head for reasons he did not understand'. He said Gaote-Oueyeya feared being called a 'grass' and was frightened by 'a credible and real threat from someone he described as the Godfather of Newcastle'.
Judge Francis Laird noted that Gaote-Oueyeya had been a 'model prisoner' before the incident and accepted that his good behaviour would likely return after being moved to a different prison. Appearing via video link from HMP Long Lartin, Gaote-Oueyeya was sentenced to four years for wounding with intent and nine months for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, to be served concurrently after his current sentence.
