‘Fall’ prisoner sues saying: If there’s blame there’s a claim

A PRISONER suing for £5,000 over a fall boasted to guards: ‘Where there’s blame, there’s a claim’.

Paul Barnes, 33, was offered a £1,200 payout after slipping on a wet patch in Manchester Prison, also known as Strangeways.

He suffered minor injuries to his face and wrist.

But the ‘greedy’ father-ofone, who has since been released, turned it down and tried to get a bigger payout. He falsely claimed the cut to his forehead was more than twice the size and that he had suffered concussion, Manchester Crown Court heard.

When prison staff tried to take photos of his injuries after the fall in October 2014, he ran to the toilet and returned with a red mark on his forehead.

Barnes, from Moston, Manchester, later pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation. He has 22 previous convictions, including burglary.

Sentencing, Judge Hilary Manley told Barnes he had been ‘greedy and dishonest’. He was given a suspended 23week sentence and told to do 100 hours of unpaid work.