The killer of a Perthshire toddler was scarred for life after being slashed in prison.
Luke Pirie, who ran over Harlow Edwards in 2016, was attacked behind bars by a violent bigot using a home-made weapon.
Thomas Conington, 31, carried out the attack in Saughton jail where he is serving a sentence for firebombing Edinburgh’s Central Mosque.
Conington admitted attacking Pirie, 25, on August 10, striking him on the face with a toothbrush with a blade melted into it to his severe injury.
Advocate depute Mark McGuire said Conington was assaulted earlier that day and Pirie received information which led him to believe Conington intended to carry out a revenge attack on him.
Pirie, who is serving a six-year jail sentence for causing the death by dangerous driving of Harlow, was sitting at a table with other prisoners when Conington approached him from behind and grabbed the top of his head.
The prosecutor said: “The accused slashed across the victim’s face from his chin to his right ear.”
Pirie was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he needed a blood transfusion because of the amount of blood he had lost.
Mr McGuire said: “As a consequence of this attack the complainer has been left with a permanent and obvious scar.
“Treatment is ongoing to repair nerve damage and it is not yet known whether that damage will be permanent.”
Conington has a total of 49 convictions involving 76 different crimes including 14 assaults and 19 offences involving racial or religious prejudice.
Jailing him for six years, Lord Pentland said: “It is clear to me you are a violent and dangerous man.”
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Conington is due to complete a three years and nine-month minimum term in June next year, although he would only ever be released if parole authorities considered it was safe to do so.
Defence solicitor Paul Haran said Conington, who is now in Addiewell jail in West Lothian, has an anti-social personality disorder but has now begun one-to-one session work with a psychologist.
He said: “He appreciates this was an utterly horrific attack which will have a long-lasting effect on the complainer.”
