A dangerous inmate who stabbed two guards at Shotts Prison believes he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Darren Cornelius was just 11 when he abducted a nine-year-old girl in Edinburgh and stabbed her repeatedly, narrowly missing an artery in her throat.
He was detained in a secure unit for that attack and later was handed an Order for Lifelong Restriction for stabbing a man.
Cornelius, 33, was given an extra 16 months in jail at Hamilton Sheriff Court this week. He admitted stabbing two guards at HMP Shotts on September 13 last year.
Alice Carey, prosecuting, said four officers went to his cell with his evening meal but Cornelius became aggressive.
She stated: “It appears he had some issues regarding his meal and expressed his feelings.
“He produced a small bladed item from his pocket. The guards drew their batons but Cornelius lunged forward and stabbed officer Phillips to the left side of the rib cage.
“Prison officers delivered a number of baton strikes in order to subdue him but he managed to strike officer McKay on the hand before being restrained.”
Both guards required hospital treatment for minor wounds. Apart from the OLR, Cornelius is serving an eight-year sentence imposed in 2019 for stabbing another prisoner.
Defence agent Ross Jenkins told the court: “He has a parole hearing in July next year but is realistic - he is going nowhere.
“Only the parole board can decide when, or if, he is fit to be released.
“Dozens of people in Scotland have been made the subject of an OLR and only approximately 10 of these have been released.
“He is realistic about his prospects. It’s rather harrowing - since the age of 16 he has spent only a few months at liberty, such has been his past.
“This latest incident kicked off because he was annoyed that correspondence hadn’t been provided to him.”
Sheriff Andrew McIntyre told Cornelius: “You have a shocking record for violence with multiple convictions for serious offences.”
The sheriff ordered the 16-month sentence to be added to his eight-year stretch, adding: “There has to be a deterrent for offences such as these.
“Prisoners must know there will be practical consequences otherwise there would be no protection for prison officers who are clearly in a high-risk occupation.”
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