HMP Risley prisoner threw kettle of boiling water over inmate

Convicted child sex offender Daniel David’s vicious and unprovoked attack left his victim scarred for life.

The 31-year-old was serving an 18-month stretch at Risley prison for breaching a sexual harm prevention order at the time of the assault.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday, June 25, that he had told fellow prisoner Jamal Thomas of his previous convictions for child sex offences before the incident.

He responded by telling David he no longer wished to associate with him as a result.

At around 6pm on April 4 last year, this inmate was walking from his cell to get his evening meal when the defendant approached him from behind and emptied the contents of the boiling kettle over his back.

READ MORE > £1m rent arrears for Warrington property owners

He described feeling as though he was suffering an electric shock as a result.

David – of no fixed address – later admitted that he had poured sugar into the water, turning it into a molten paste which sticks to the skin and intensifies the burn.

The injured prisoner then chased after his assailant, who swung the kettle at him before the pair were separated by guards.

That night, they were both returned to neighbouring cells – with David shouting ‘I’m going to kill you’ and ‘I’m going to blow your house up’ to his victim.

He suffered four per cent burns to his back, left shoulder and upper arms and has been left with permanent scarring despite the scalding having healed.

In a statement read out to the court, the victim said: “The scars on my back are still present, and I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that this is now something I will have to live with for the rest of my life.

“My mental health has been badly affected by this crime – I struggled to sleep and kept having flashbacks.

“I also feel paranoid, I feel myself looking over my shoulder because I was attacked from behind.

“It’s a horrible thing to have to live through and a horrible thing to have to recount.”

David was released from prison in August last year and has resided in a mental health hospital since, having been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Defence barrister Anya Horwood told the court that her client had arrived in the UK aged 11 after fleeing his home country of Uganda.

He was also previously stabbed in the back during a period living homeless in Manchester.

Ms Horwood added: “Very plainly, this is a very troubled man – he has had difficulties throughout growing up and into his adult life.

“Eventually, this culminated in him finding himself before the courts for various offences.”

David admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent during an earlier hearing and was handed five years behind bars, an extended sentence with an additional two years on licence to begin after the custodial term ends.

Sentencing, judge Garrett Byrne said: “You boiled a kettle and put sugar in it before then approaching the complainant from behind and throwing the contents onto his back.

“It was in any view a cowardly and appalling crime, the relevance of the sugar being it would cause maximum damage to the skin.

“The only reason you did this was because of a perceived risk that he would tell other inmates the reason for your incarceration.

“He suffered burns to his back which happily healed, but left permanent scarring that will be with him for the rest of his life.

“Offences such as this are detrimental to the good order of a prison.

“There is some history of violent offending, but nothing comes close to the seriousness of the current offence.

“It is clear that you have the capacity to form intent, and you knew perfectly well what you were doing and that it was wrong.

“I do find there is a significant risk that you will commit further offences and cause serious harm to other people.”

David – who has six previous convictions for 13 offences dating back to 2013, including making indecent images and attempted robbery – was also told to pay a victim surcharge.

Cheshire Police were unable to release a custody picture.