Bunbury prisoner Arthur Ryan given extra time behind bars after “vicious attack” against fellow prisoner

A 27-year-old prisoner has been given an extra four months behinds bars after viciously attacking another prisoner with a cricket bat to the point where prison officers had to declare a code red. Arthur Ryan appeared in Bunbury Magistrates Court via videolink from Casuarina Prison on Thursday where he was handed a four-month prison term after previously pleading guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm. The court was told Ryan and the victim were unknown to each other but were both in custody at Bunbury Regional Prison. On the afternoon of January 21 last year, the victim was walking back to his unit after spending time in the prison’s recreation area. As the 37-year-old victim walked past the education building, Ryan approached the victim from behind and struck him to the right side of one of his knees with a cricket bat, causing the victim to fall to the ground. While the victim was on the ground, Ryan continued to hit the victim with the bat several times, striking the victim’s head and body. Prison officers were forced to call a code red, which prompted Ryan to immediately drop the bat before he was detained. The victim was eventually taken to Bunbury Hospital where it was found he suffered extensive bruising to his arms, legs, stomach and back, as well as small cuts all over his body. Police prosecutor Senior Constable Renai Gildersleeve told the court witnesses of the assault said they noticed Ryan smiling while he was being detained by prison officers. The court was also told Ryan was serving an eight-year prison term, which was handed down in 2017, and had since been transferred to Casuarina Prison. In submissions, Ryan’s defence counsel Michelle Huber told the court the pair had engaged in a small scuffle some time prior to the incident. A pre-sentence and neuropsychological report that was prepared for the court indicated that Ryan suffered from “significant cognitive difficulties”. In sentencing, Magistrate Benjamin Tyers described the assault as a “sustained, vicious attack with a weapon” and noted the blatant nature of the offending given there were several prison officers and other prisoners that witnessed the incident.