Violent prisoner Tony McDonald, 39, launched a brutal assault at HMP Peterborough on 31 July 2023, dousing a female officer with boiling sugary water in a savage jail attack. Already serving time for grievous bodily harm, McDonald armed himself with a bin of scalding water mixed with sugar and waited for a female officer responding to a personal alarm before splashing the boiling liquid all over her.
The horrific attack left the female officer with agonising burns and permanent scarring. A second male officer who attempted to intervene suffered a broken wrist as well as burns to his neck, leg, and arm.
At Huntingdon Law Courts, Judge Mark Bishop condemned the attack, highlighting the lasting damage caused. He said, “She has permanent damage and doubts her career will be able to take her to retirement.” The female officer underwent specialist burns treatment and multiple skin graft surgeries, while the male officer’s injuries added to the trauma of the incident.
During the trial, McDonald pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent, claiming that “voices in his head” urged him to carry out the attack. However, psychiatric experts found no evidence of mental illness to support his defence. He was subsequently found guilty after trial.
Detective Constable John Pentney described the assault as “traumatising” and emphasised that the sentence reflects the severity of the attack. He stated, “This was, and remains, a traumatising incident for the victim. While the sentence will not undo the permanent harm caused, it does reflect the seriousness of this unprovoked attack.” A Prison Service spokesperson added, “Prison officers put themselves at risk every day to maintain safety behind bars. Any attack on them is utterly unacceptable, and we welcome this significant sentence.”
Judge Bishop handed McDonald a 17-year sentence to run consecutively with his current term. This means McDonald is set to spend decades behind bars for his cold, calculated assault at HMP Peterborough.
Originally published by UKNIP.
