A 'VIOLENT' prisoner stands accused of wounding prison officers with improvised weapons in bloody attacks at two different prisons, one of them in Worcestershire.

Daniel Matthews denies the assaults on eight prison officers at HMP Long Lartin and HMP Bristol as his trial got underway at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday.

The court heard that the 28-year-old had threatened to go on a 'killing spree' at one of the prisons. Matthews appeared in the dock flanked by six dock officers, all wearing masks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The prosecution say Matthews threw boiling water from a Thermos flask over prison officers at HMP Long Lartin before stabbing them with a 'shiv' made of perspex.

The jury were shown photos of the injuries inflicted and body worn footage of blood-stained prison officers trying to restrain Matthews on the floor of the landing outside his Long Lartin cell.

A second incident at HMP Bristol, the prosecution say, involved an attack with a metal spike made from a bucket handle.

Matthews denies wounding with intent against prison officers Gary Pattinson and Andreas Antoniou on the segregation unit at HMP Long Lartin, near Evesham on February 23 last year.

In relation to the second incident at HMP Bristol on January 10 this year the defendant further denies attempting to wound with intent Matthew Williams, wounding with intent against Christopher Hawkins and four counts of assaulting emergency workers - prison officers Darren Harvey, Liam Hutchinson, Nathan Joyce and Mitchell Hussey.

Matthews admits two counts of unauthorised possession of a knife or offensive weapon - a shiv in Long Lartin and a metal spike in Bristol.

Tom Kenning, prosecuting, said the first incident at Long Lartin happened after food had provided at the defendant's single occupation cell.

A short while later he pushed an alarm and asked for a fresh flask of hot water to be brought to his cell. Three officers went to provide the new flask and take the old flask away, the protocol for a prisoner posing the level of risk that Matthews did.

Mr Kenning said: "He threw the flask at the prison officers and the cell door. The scene then turned pretty violent. The defendant attacked the prison officers with an improvised weapon. It seems he got hold of some perspex. After hearing the evidence you may think he was using that wrapped in a bit of sheet to attack the officers."

Mr Kenning said Matthews then refused to speak to police officers about what happened.

"The defendant has a history of violence including assaults on prison officers and civilians including using weapons and improvised weapons," Mr Kenning told the jury.

The prosecutor told the panel that at Bristol a prison officer heard Matthews say 'he was planing a killing spree' which was reported before the alleged attacks.

He described the weapon Matthews is accused of using there as 'pretty fearsome' and could be used 'to stab or gouge in effect'.

The case is that Matthews worked as a cleaner in the prison and may have made the 'spike' out of the metal handle of a bucket before wrapping one end in green sheets and Sellotape. Mr Hawkins was said to have suffered 'a very nasty gouge' and Mr Williams a very serious wound to his eye.

CCTV and body worn footage was played to the jury during which officers could be heard shouting 'get him on the ground!', 'get his hands!' and 'drop the weapon!' as the defendant is restrained on the first floor landing. The aftermath showed a prison officer with a bandage on his head and one with an eye swollen shut, a nurse and pools of blood on the corridor floor.

Mr Kenning said the central issue in the case would be whether Matthews was defending himself. However, he said: "The defendant armed himself with these weapons and attacked those prison officers and left them with those injuries. The prosecution will be submitting to to members of the jury that the defendant was not acting in self-defence. It was unnecessary for him to use violence at all let alone at this level."