Convicted sex offender with 27 previous convictions attacked a man who called him a rapist in Milton Keynes

Troy Foster had become furious when Mark Bacon loudly accused him of the serious sexual offence and resolved to take revenge on him, a judge was told.

The 27-year-old had approached Mr Bacon while the victim was doing laps around the exercise yard at HMP Woodhill in MK in December 2018, where they were both serving prisoners, prosecutors said.

Nigel Ogborne, prosecuting, told how Foster had called out: "I'll get your little thing that you are doing Bacon. I get your little thing."

Mr Bacon had continued doing several more laps of the exercise yard before he heard Foster approaching him from behind and felt a powerful blow to the back of his head, the court heard.

Mr Ogborne said: "The punch hit him with so much force he described it like being hit with a big lump of wood. Mr Bacon went down to the ground. Whilst on the ground Mr Foster continued punching, that is, multiple blows.

"Mr Bacon managed to get up. Mr Foster charged at him and then started to punch him again. He managed to block the first blow with his left arm but he went to the ground again.

"Mr Bacon saw Mr Foster's foot coming down on his arm, which was over his head, trying to trample him, with so much force he thought Mr Foster was trying to kill him. His head hit the ground and, in Mr Bacon's words, 'split open'."

The assault had continued in the presence of prison guards until another prisoner intervened, the court heard, during which time Foster had stamped on Mr Bacon's hip.

Medics examining the victim found he had suffered a fractured hip and he had to have a dynamic hip screw and plate inserted before being sent back to prison, the prosecutor added.

Although Foster had admitted one offence of Section 20 causing grievous bodily harm without intent, his sentencing hearing had been delayed for six months as he refused to attend a video link booth, the judge was told.

Appearing by video-link at Aylesbury Crown Court from HMP Rye Hill, a prison exclusively for sex offenders, Foster protested: "There is no video link in this prison. I am in for a sexual offence, I do not want to get sent to a local.

"This started because he screamed at the top of his lungs about me raping people. This jail has a habit of shipping you out to go to a local."

Foster had 27 convictions for 61 offences, including multiple violence offences such as battery, ABH, assault on police officers and robbery. He was jailed for 12 years and six months in prison, with a three-and-a-half year extension, for wounding with intent in November 2012 and also a sexual offence.

A lawyer defending Foster added: "He tells me that they had been having a disagreement for a few months before December 2018. Mr Bacon found out about a sexual offence on his record and he took a dislike to him and he suffered various examples of that.

"He wanted me to make clear and express today that prisoners facing sentences for sexual offences such as himself, courts are well aware, that they have a more difficult time in prison than others do."

Judge Thomas Rochford, sentencing, had to ask Foster to stop interrupting on several occasions, as the defendant disagreed with the facts the lawyers were reading into the record, accusing the prosecutor of lying.

The judge said: "In December 2018, you were involved in an assault upon another prisoner, Mr Bacon. There was a degree of animosity of friction between him and you. It in no way excuses what happened. I know you understand that.

"You stamped on him on a number of occasions with a shod foot, stamped on his arm and stamped on his hip with sufficient force that you broke his hip. He needed to spend three days in hospital and needed to have an operation with a peg put in."

Judge Rochford sentenced Foster to two years' imprisonment.