A violent prisoner who attacked a fellow inmate with a makeshift weapon insisted razorblades found in his cell were for crafting matchstick models.
Graham Lomas was caught with a prohibited blade at HMP Perth last year.
Officers searched his room and discovered two razorblades held together with an adhesive label.
Lomas, 33, maintains the device was not a sinister weapon but was something he used for his crafting hobby.
History of weapons
The father-of-three was initially jailed for three-and-a-half years for having a weapon.
In 2018, he had 21 months added to his sentence after he admitted beating up another Perth prisoner.
The court heard he used a hand-built blade on Steven Ramsay, leaving him with a 30-centimetre gash.
On Thursday, he appeared via video link at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted having a bladed or sharply pointed item in prison on June 25, 2020.
Sheriff Euan Duthie sentenced Lomas to another two months.
He told him: “Whether or not you explanation for this item is correct, the fact remains it is a prohibited item and you were not allowed to have that in your cell whether the purpose was malign or benign.”
Under the influence
Fiscal depute Matthew Kerr said: “At about 5pm, prison officers were managing the accused as part of a substance misuse policy.
“The accused was subject to 30-minute observations.
“They went to check on him, at the request of the prison nurse.”
Mr Kerr said: “He was the sole occupant of his cell.
“The cell was searched and the item was found.
“The accused was then moved to an observation cell.
“He was in no fit state to comment.
“He was slurring his words and was clearly under the influence of some kind of substance.
“The two razorblades, which were held together by adhesive, were seized.”
‘Not intended for violence’
Solicitor Callum Gordon said: “Mr Lomas says these were in no way intended to be used for violence.
“It’s not difficult to see why someone would come to the conclusion that these were designed as a makeshift weapon.
“Mr Lomas uses them for matchstick modelling in his cell.
“He has made quite a number of models.”
He said: “The cutter that comes with the craft kits was removed, for obvious reasons, by prison staff.
“So he was using these razors to help make his crafts.”
In 2019, Perth Sheriff Court heard that Lomas attacked Ramsay after discovering he was about to go on trial for grooming a 15-year-old girl.
Lomas was part of a gang of inmates who crowded Ramsay’s cell to inflict summary justice on him when they discovered the charges he was facing.
Ramsay admitted the offence and was jailed for 26 months.
