A convicted murderer from Weston has had 16 months added to his life sentence after he broke another inmate’s jaw during a fight at Exeter Prison.

Curtis Ford joined in a brawl between two other men and landed a left hook which was so powerful that it knocked the victim to the floor and shattered his jaw in three places.

Inmate James Symonds needed surgery under general anaesthetic after the attack on the A2 landing on the afternoon of September 2020.

Ford was on remand for stabbing a man to death in Weston-super-Mare and went on to be jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years at Bristol Crown Court in January 2021.

His new sentence will delay the date at which he is able to apply for parole by eight months; half the length of the additional term.

Ford, aged 29, of Baildon Road, Weston, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was jailed for 16 months by Judge Peter Johnson at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: "This was more than an impulsive or spontaneous act and is aggravated by being in a prison environment and previous offences of violence in your background."

Felicity Payne, prosecuting, said another prisoner had been talking to Mr Symonds on the landing and a dispute arose which resulted in him being punched to the face.

Other inmates separated the two men but Ford intervened and was seen on CCTV throwing two punches, one of which knocked Mr Symonds down and broke his jaw.

Ford, who was not represented, told the judge that he overheard Mr Symonds threatening to attack another prisoner while they were both picking up equipment from a cleaning store.

He saw the incident on the landing and stepped in to protect the other man.

He said: "I only punched him once with a left. I went to punch him again but he went to the floor and it was game over. He was done. He is out now and trying to get compensation."

Asked by the judge if he had anything else to say, he replied, 'I'm sorry'. He appeared by video link from HMP Woodhill and after being sentenced he left the room saying 'Cheers, nice one'.

In the earlier case at Bristol, Ford pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial to the murder of 47-year-old Mikhail Hanid in Weston in June 2020.

He stabbed Mr Hanid 11 times after falsely accusing him of stealing a bicycle from his 30-year-old cousin, Samuel Ford. He had earlier sent racist threats in text messages.

Samuel Ford took part in the attack but it was Curtis Ford who stabbed Mr Hanid repeatedly and then boasted, 'You've got to push it in and twist it because they can't sew or put the stomach back together'.

Mr Hanid died in hospital from his injuries on June 30, 2020, three days after the attack.

Samuel Ford, also of Baildon Road, Weston, was found guilty of manslaughter by the jury at a trial at Bristol in December 2020 and was jailed for nine years, with a three-year extended licence.

Judge Peter Blair, QC, described the attack as brutal, senseless and appalling.

At the time of his death, Mr Hanid's brothers described him as a "kind, peace-loving and sociable" man who had some mental health difficulties.

They stated he disliked violence, and suggested there may have been a racist motive behind the attack.