Boiling water attack man jailed for 17 years

A man who threw boiling water mixed with sugar over a prison officer has been jailed for 17 years.

Prisoner Tony McDonald, 39, was waiting with a bin full of boiling water when the officer at HMP Peterborough responded to a personal alarm from another officer on 31 July, 2023.

He threw the entire contents at the woman, leaving her and another guard with serious injuries.

Colleagues rushed her to a cold shower, while McDonald ran away and attacked another prison officer with a knee-high kick. In the struggle, the officer suffered a fractured wrist. 

McDonald, who was already serving a sentence for offences including GBH, denied grievous bodily harm with intent and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent but was found guilty following a trial and was jailed on Tuesday (11 February) at Huntingdon Law Courts.

Sentencing, Judge Mark Bishop said McDonald had claimed he was following the instructions of voices, but psychiatrists had concluded this was untrue.

He said: “She (the victim) suffered immediate pain, screaming in agony. There was no background, there was no motivation for this attack.

“The officer suffered grave second degree burns while undertaking her public duties in prison.

“The scarring and injuries caused her significant issues in her daily life. She is likely to need future surgery. She has permanent damage and doubts her career will be able to take her to retirement.”

In her statement, the victim described how she was in excruciating pain. She required treatment at a specialist burns hospital and several skin graft surgeries.

The male guard, who suffered burns to his neck, leg and arm, said he remembered hearing his colleague’s screams, which had had a big impact on his mental health.

Detective Constable John Pentney said: “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.

“McDonald was captured on CCTV leaving his cell with the black plastic bin covered by a towel and going to the water boiler to fill it while a separate incident was happening on the upper landing.”