Teenager left unconscious after savage attack by convicted murderer at Wetherby Young Offender Institute
A young man was left unconscious after an unprovoked attack at a young offenders’ institute near Leeds by a convicted murderer.
Calum Maddison, 19, and another inmate at Wetherby Young Offender Institution attacked the teenager while they were playing a game on September 9 last year.
Maddison was sentenced for one charge of grievous bodily harm at Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday (August 19) while his co-accused will be sentenced separately.
The court heard that Maddison is currently serving a life sentence for murder that he was convicted of in 2022 and that he is not scheduled to leave prison until 2038.
For the prosecution, Eugene Cross said that inmates were playing a game called ‘one bounce’ in the outside area, during which they kick a football to one another and if a player allows the ball to bounce more than once then another prisoner “gets to punch them on the arm”.
CCTV footage was shown of the incident, during which the victim is punched in the face and then kicked and stamped on repeatedly by Maddison and his co-accused, who were both 17-years-old at the time.
Mr Cross said: “They then desist and start laughing with each other.”
The victim was left unconscious by the “persistent attack” and was taken to hospital. He suffered swelling to his forehead, a cheekbone fracture, a broken nose and concussion.
Maddison pleaded guilty to the charge at a pre-trial preparation hearing on July 7.
In mitigation, the court heard that Maddison and his co-accused “clearly caused more harm than what was intended”.
The Recorder of Leeds Judge Guy Kearl KC reduced Maddison’s sentence on account of his age at the time to one eight months, which will be served consecutive to his current prison time.