A Tasmanian prisoner who brutally bashed his friend while they were both awaiting trial for murder has had six months added to his jail sentence.
Dane Ronald Pyke, 28, pleaded guilty to assaulting fellow Risdon Prison inmate Blaise Baddeley in what a Supreme Court judge described as a “rather brutal assault” that left Baddeley unconscious with facial fractures.
The attack took place on April 9, 2024 in the maximum-security unit’s common area and was captured on CCTV.
Acting Justice David Porter told the court Pyke punched Baddeley in the face without warning while he was eating and looking away.
The force of the blow sent Baddeley flying backwards onto a table before he hit the floor. Pyke then kicked him and knelt beside his motionless body, delivering six more punches to his head and upper body in rapid succession.
As Pyke walked away, he picked up a water bottle and threw it at Baddeley, who was unconscious, while another inmate rushed over to try and help.
Baddeley suffered a broken eye socket, a displaced nasal bone and heavy bruising. He was taken to hospital on a stretcher but later refused to make a statement to police.
Justice Porter said mounting tensions over the looming trial and reports of a “pressure-cooker type environment” with long daily lockdowns had fuelled the violence.
When interviewed by police, Pyke admitted to the assault, saying he “just sort of snapped” after Baddeley made a comment and that he had only meant “to give him a smack in the mouth”.
Justice Porter accepted Pyke had shown genuine remorse and had since apologised. The two men are reportedly “on very friendly terms once again”.
“Regardless of what tensions had built up between the two of you due to the impending murder trial, such violence, or indeed any violence, was completely unjustified,” Justice Porter said.
In April 2025, Pyke was acquitted of murder but convicted on unrelated charges and is now serving a five-year sentence.
