An aspiring hip-hop star needed 100 stitches to his right eye after a vicious assault at Perth Prison.
Drug dealer-turned-rapper Dane Carroll, known to fans as Metagold, was serving a five-year stretch when he was set upon by two inmates in the C-Hall kitchen.
The Dundee musician, who is an ex-army sniper, was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery to his right tear duct after the assault in February 2019.
Samuel Mason appeared at Perth Sheriff Court on Monday and was sent back to jail for his role in the attack, which left Mr Carroll seriously injured, permanently disfigured and impaired.
The 25-year-old scrambled over a hot plate and through a serving hatch to reach Mr Carroll in the pantry, the court heard.
Mason, from Liverpool, had been recently moved to Perth Prison for his own safety after he was the victim of a razor attack at HMP Grampian.
He was jailed for 18 months, meaning he will almost certainly miss the birth of his second child.
Remote control
Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney said Mr Carroll had accused Mason and his cellmate Pavel Tomko of taking his TV remote control.
Mr Sweeney said: “Mr Carroll attempted to de-escalate the situation as multiple prisoners attended at the serving hatch, waiting to be fed.
“Mason climbed onto the hot plate over towards Mr Carroll, who stumbled backwards into the kitchen area.
“Mason and Tomko made their way over the counter and started to attack Mr Carroll.”
Eye surgery
Mason was seen by a pair of prison officers punching Mr Carroll several times in his right eye.
“During this sustained assault, Mr Carroll felt a strike to his right eye and described his eye as bursting,” said Mr Sweeney.
“He felt blood running down his face and he lost sight in his right eye.
“The two prison officers activated an emergency alarm to call for assistance.
“They saw both men were assaulting Mr Carroll in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack. They noted that Mr Carroll was not fighting back.
“Neither accused made any attempt to stop when they entered the pantry.”
Mr Sweeney said that Mr Carroll was taken to Perth Royal Infirmary, before being transferred for emergency surgery at Ninewells.
“He received more than 100 stitches, including micro-sutures,” he told the court.
“Surgeons were unable to save the tear duct on his right eye and it is believed he only has about 20 to 30% of that tear duct left.”
Pavko was found guilty for his role following a trial in September 2019 and jailed for 10 months.
PTSD
Solicitor Leonard Burkinshaw said his client Mason thought Mr Carroll had been trying to intimidate him and “show that he was boss of the wing” when he appeared at his cell the day before the attack.
“When Mr Carroll returned to challenge them about the remote control, it made Mr Mason anxious, mainly because he himself had been slashed while serving at HMP Grampian.
“He still has a scar from that incident, and he suffers PTSD as a result.”
He added: “He has not come to the attention of the authorities since his release in 2019. He returned to Liverpool and tried to get his life back in order.”
Mr Burkinshaw said his client wanted to deal with the matter urgently, and hoped to be released in time for the birth of his second child later this year.
Sheriff William Wood told Mason: “While I appreciate you are unlikely to be out in time for the birth of your child, you must bear in mind that you have already had plenty time to have this matter resolved earlier.”
YouTube star
Earlier this year, Carroll told us how he had turned his life around while he was behind bars.
The rapper from Fairview, who was found guilty of supplying class A drugs worth nearly £900,0000, has racked up tens of thousands of views on YouTube.
