A violent thug beat up his prison pal after discovering he was about to go on trial for grooming a 15-year-old girl for sex.
Father-of-three Graham Lomas flew into a rage and used a makeshift weapon to leave Steven Ramsay, 34, with a 30 centimetre gash in his back.
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.
Perth Sheriff Court was told that Ramsay had been given a copy of his court papers and had left them in open view which led to the attack upon him.
Lomas, 30, admitted injuring and disfiguring Ramsay in Perth Prison on 18 November by repeatedly punching him and striking him on the body with a blade.
Fiscal depute Tina Dickie told the court: “Having appeared in court in relation to sexual offences he was remanded to Perth Prison.
“He was served court papers in relation to the pending case. He returned to his cell but left his papers in open view.
“The accused entered Mr Ramsay’s cell and confronted him. Various other inmates also attended within the cell. Lomas hit him on the head and body and struck him with a sharp bladed implement.
“Prison officers observed he was badly injured and bleeding heavily from the head and body. Lockdown of the remaining prisoners was ordered.”
Ramsay was taken to hospital where he was found to have cuts and bruises including a long gash in his back.
Lomas, who was serving three and a half years for having a weapon, had lashed out after feeling betrayed by someone he viewed as a friend.
Solicitor John Ferry, defending, said: “The complainer was in the hall with them and he had not advised what situation he was facing. When the indictment was served it became common knowledge.
“Mr Lomas had been fairly close to the complainer. He had his children’s photographs on the wall when Mr Ramsay had come in and out.
“There was nothing untoward, but his head started working when he found out he was in for a sexual matter. He went into the cell and carried out the assault.
“He owned up to his part, but I have to accept he has a terrible record — there is no getting away from that.”
Sheriff William Wood said: “There are a number of aggravating features. You took the decision you were going to attack and you created a weapon of some kind.
“This wasn’t something that happened in the heat of the moment. I dare say you felt Mr Ramsay had in some way betrayed you if you had been friends.
“You are a man of considerable violence. It was a cowardly attack confronting an unarmed man in his prison cell.”
He jailed Lomas for a further 21 months.
Ramsay was jailed earlier this year for 26 months after he admitted grooming a 15-year-old girl for sex.
He bombarded the girl with around 300 calls and text messages as he set up repeated meetings with her over several months.
The schoolgirl was hospitalised with hallucinations while she was being groomed for sex by Ramsay, who claimed he had been abused as a child by Dunblane killer Thomas Hamilton.
