A MAN bit the arm of a prison officer five days before his release.

Nathan Edwards, 27, of Australia Street, Ponciau, Wrexham, was found guilty of common assault and was sent back to jail for 22 weeks. He must also pay his victim Aled Manford £250 compensation, as well as £115 costs.

He had pleaded not guilty at the four-hour hearing and claimed he acted in self defence after officers piled on top of him in a melee in his cell in the segregation unit at Berwyn Prison last July.

But magistrates at Llandudno preferred the evidence of the officer, who said Edwards had lunged at him while he was being handed a meal, and that he had to be restrained.

Court chairwoman Daphne Roberts said the magistrates had studied CCTV footage frame by frame and this bore out the prosecution evidence.

The court was told by Rhian Jones, prosecuting, that in July 2017 Edwards had received a two-year sentence at Caernarfon crown court for wounding, and he also had previous convictions for assault.

Defence solicitor Laura Preston-Heyes said since his release Edwards had obtained steady employment and remained in contact with the probation service.

Announcing sentence the chairwoman said : “The only proper sentence is one of custody due to the seriousness of the offence.”