This is the mass brawl in which two young offenders seriously injured a prison guard. With the victim's consent, the Crown Prosecution Service has released to WalesOnline the footage of Finley Phillips and Marzin Moshen repeatedly punching and stamping on the officer during the riot at Bridgend prison HMP Parc's young offender unit.
Newport Crown Court heard Phillips, then 16, and Moshen, then 17, were sitting at tables in a communal area of the young offender unit on the morning of July 18, 2021, when a melee broke out among inmates. The court heard it was triggered by an inmate striking Phillips to the face. Ryan Young, who was a physical training officer as well as a prison guard, tried to break up the fight.
Prosecutor Abigail Jackson said: "Mr Young was restraining one of the males on the floor. His last recollection of the incident was, while he was on the floor, sustaining a number of blows to the head before becoming unconscious. Finley Phillips can be seen on CCTV punching Mr Young to the head before stamping on him. Marzin Moshen becomes involved in the incident once Mr Young is already somewhat incapacitated on the floor. He can clearly be seen stamping on the head of Mr Young. Both Mr Phillips and Mr Moshen were intending to injure another male prisoner but injured Mr Young himself." For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
READ NEXT: 'I thought Wales rugby star was my friend, now I am owed thousands and he is ignoring a court order'
DON'T MISS: The heartless system that treats desperate parents as criminals
Eventually other prison officers managed to stop the brawl. Mr Young was found lying down, dipping in and out of consciousness. He was taken to A&E where a cut on his left eye was treated with glue and paper stitches. Mr Young struggled with delayed concussion and was unable to return to work for eight weeks. He was also left with scarring to his eye. Since the attack he has struggled to sleep and has undergone cognitive behavioural therapy for the trauma. The attack caused concern to his family including his young son, the court heard.
Mr Young told WalesOnline: "It's a very challenging environment to work in. The support of my colleagues was invaluable to my recovery. We're like one big family. It was not nice for them to witness what had happened and have to carry on. I can't thank everyone who helped me enough."
The hearing was also told of a separate incident in which Moshen brutally attacked a man in Newport last May. The victim Khalid Akbar had made allegations against Moshen and was set to be a witness in a potential trial. The prosecution never proceeded with those allegations — but Moshen was charged over the attack on Mr Akbar, which left him with eight rib fractures and a wound to his forehead.
Phillips, of Gatcombe Road in Hartcliffe, Bristol, admitted grievous bodily harm (GBH) over the prison wounding. Moshen, of Alexandra Road in Newport, admitted GBH and witness intimidation over the Newport attack as well as actual bodily harm (ABH) over the prison incident.
Moshen has 17 previous offences on his record including violent disorder, robbery and dangerous driving. His barrister Joshua Scouller said Moshen had issues with maturity, cognitive ability and impulsiveness. "He was closer in mental age to someone who would have been 15, if not younger, at the time of the [prison] offence. His involvement was rather more fleeting than Mr Phillips'."
Phillips, whose girlfriend will soon be giving birth, has 20 previous offences on his record including battery, affray, ABH, fraud, burglary and criminal damage. His barrister Ian Morrell said: "Initially he believed he was suffering an attack and acted in self-defence against Mr Young. That, in large measure, perhaps explains why there was a delay in him pleading guilty to the offence. Mr Phillips has apologised to Mr Young, with whom he had and still has an affable relationship."
The judge, Recorder David Elias KC, noted that Mr Young had been stamped on "very hard" and that Mr Akbar, a potential trial witness, had been subjected to serious violence while his back was turned. He sentenced Moshen to 26 months in a young offender institution and Phillips to 16 months in a young offender institution. You can read more about the case here.
