Jailyard assault admitted

A 21-year-old inmate attacked a Corrections officer at Christchurch Men’s Prison, leaving him with a broken nose and off work for months.

Terry Thane Daily admitted intentionally injuring the prison officer when he appeared by videolink from the prison, at the Christchurch District Court yesterday.

Judge Paul Kellar remanded him for sentence on October 18.

The Crown said three inmates were involved in the exercise yard fracas with officers on November 26. The other two had already been sentenced. One of the others – Taniela Kotoitoga Daven Tiako Waitokia, 18 – was now serving a life term for the murder of elderly Riccarton man Harold Richardson.

The prison incident happened on a day when a new regime had been put in place. Only six prisoners were allowed in the yard, instead of the previous 15.

Another prisoner refused an instruction to let go of the door to the yard so it could be closed. The two officers trying to close the door were approached in the yard by Daily and Waitokia.

Daily shoved one officer and began punching him in the side of the face. The struggle spilled inside the unit where Daily continued punching the officer before other officers got him under control. The Crown said the officer was also kicked.

The officer received ligament damage to his knee, cuts and swelling to his head and face and was later found to have a broken nose. He was off work until June.

Daily was not interviewed, but the Crown said he sent letters to family and friends from prison in which he admitted the assault.

In June, Waitokia received a one-year concurrent jail term for his assault on the other officer.