A prisoner caught with a cosh fashioned from a tuna can and a sock has been given extra jail time.
Abid Khan, 22, was twice caught with the homemade tinned fish club in March, while he was locked up at HMP Bullingdon, near Bicester, on remand for harassing Bracknell woman Marnie Clayton – who prompted a huge police search in January after she went missing from a nightclub in Windsor.
The lag claimed when he first appeared at the magistrates’ court last month that he had the sock cosh for his own protection.
But on Thursday, when he appeared before Oxford Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing, he changed his pleas and accepted two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.
He had already pleaded guilty to two counts of having a mobile phone – a banned item – behind bars. The phones, tiny devices made by brand Zanco, was found by staff in May.
Judge Ian Pringle KC jailed him for 18 months, with the sentence to run consecutively to a 40 month term imposed by a Reading judge in June for harassment.
PC Andrew Gold of Thames Valley Police said: “Weapons and phones can have a serious detrimental effect on the safe day to day running of prison establishments, putting both prisoners and staff at risk of harm.
“I am pleased that the sentence passed reflects the seriousness of the offences.”
Read more from this author
This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward