A Tasmanian man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for what a judge described as a “pointless and vicious” assault behind bars that left another inmate with a fractured eye socket and blurred vision.
Joel Robert Purdon, 26, punched fellow prisoner Nathan Dean Tatnell during a June 2022 altercation at the Risdon Prison Complex.
The Supreme Court heard Purdon became aggressive after Tatnell questioned why he was using the phone in Tatnell’s unit rather than his own.
CCTV footage captured Purdon pushing Tatnell before landing a punch to his face.
Tatnell then grabbed Purdon by his throat and held him against a railing for about three seconds before collapsing in a bathroom and being taken to hospital for treatment.
He sustained a two-centimetre cut to his left eyebrow, a fractured eye socket, blurred vision, facial numbness and extensive bruising.
“The injuries suffered by the complainant demonstrate the ferocious nature of the assault,” Chief Justice Chris Shanahan said.
Purdon admitted the attack to prison staff immediately afterwards, telling them it happened during an argument over the phone system.
The court was told Purdon has an extensive criminal history, including six assault convictions, as well as firearms, property and bail offences.
He has also breached six suspended sentences and two community service orders.
Chief Justice Shanahan said the assault suggested Purdon had an “entrenched issue with anger management”.
The court heard Purdon had a difficult childhood marked by physical abuse and the deaths of his brother and father.
He has struggled with drug addiction since the age of 13 and now has a 16-month-old daughter.
Chief Justice Shanahan handed Purdon a 12-month sentence, suspending the final six months for two years and backdating the term to April 23, 2025.
Purdon had already served 409 days in custody in relation to the case.
