Key Points
- Twenty-six-year-old Jack Martin was sentenced at the Crown Court of Mold after pleading guilty to committing grievous bodily harm without any intention and illegal possession of a prohibited weapon inside prison.
- The assault took place at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham on October 17, 2025, where both Martin and Paul Hanley were serving prisoners at the time of that event.
- According to the report by LeaderLive, prosecutor Richard Edwards claimed that Martin attacked Mr Hanley in a canteen queue using an electrical plug and wire in his hand and then hit Mr Hanley’s head with the plug.
- Blood came out of Mr Hanley’s head and Martin attempted to hit him again until another prisoner stopped him by giving a blow on his head.
- As stated in the report by North Wales Live, prison healthcare nurse examined Mr Hanley and he was taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital, but he refused to wait for treatment and give a statement.
- The Judge Simon Mills referred to the case as “a nasty, pre-planned assault on another prisoner”.
- Twelve months were sentenced to Martin for wounding and twelve months for possessing a weapon in prison, both concurrent with Martin’s extended sentence.
Wales Crime (Wales Times) October 15, 2026 — HMP Berwyn inmate Jack Martin has been given a 12-month custodial term for each of two offences after attacking fellow prisoner Paul Hanley with an electrical plug at the uk/local/wrexham/">Wrexham prison.
Martin, who is presently held at HMP Cardiff, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Thursday afternoon for sentencing. The 26-year-old had previously admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent and unauthorised possession of a prohibited weapon in a prison.
As reported by LeaderLive, prosecutor Richard Edwards told the court that the offence took place on October 17 last year, when both Martin and Mr Hanley were serving sentences at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham.
Mr Edwards said the incident began at about 2.45pm, when Mr Hanley was standing in a queue at the prison canteen. Martin left his cell and approached him carrying an electrical plug with a wire attached.
As reported by North Wales Live, the prosecutor said Martin had the plug wrapped around his hand and “lashed out”, holding the wire and swinging the plug towards Mr Hanley.
“It made contact with Mr Hanley’s head. He began to bleed heavily,” Mr Edwards said, according to North Wales Live.
The court heard that Martin made repeated attempts to strike Mr Hanley again as the victim backed away and tried to protect his head. Another prisoner intervened by punching Martin, which brought the attack to an end.
How was Paul Hanley treated after the assault?
Mr Hanley was assessed by a prison healthcare nurse following the assault and was taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital. However, according to evidence reported by North Wales Live, he refused to wait for treatment and declined to provide a statement to investigators.
Judge Simon Mills acknowledged that Mr Hanley had not co-operated with the investigation “for understandable reasons”. The judge said the victim had, in effect, decided to accept what had happened, but would still have suffered injury, pain and discomfort.
The court did not hear further medical detail about the extent of Mr Hanley’s injuries beyond the heavy bleeding described by the prosecution.
What did the judge say about Jack Martin?
His Honour Judge Simon Mills told Martin that the attack had been a “nasty, pre-planned assault on another prisoner”.
The judge said the sentencing exercise was not straightforward because Martin’s current release date was undetermined. Martin must apply to the Parole Board after serving two-thirds of his current extended sentence if he wishes to seek release on licence, after which he would remain subject to a two-year extended licence period.
Given the complications of adding a consecutive sentence to an existing extended sentence, Judge Mills imposed a 12-month term for each offence. The sentences will run concurrently with one another and alongside Martin’s ongoing term.
Although this means the new 12-month terms are effectively absorbed within his current sentence, Judge Mills said he expected the Parole Board to take account of the further violent offending sentenced during the currency of the extended sentence when considering any future release application.
What is Jack Martin’s criminal history?
The court heard that, at the time of the HMP Berwyn attack, Martin was serving a two-year custodial sentence imposed at Bristol Crown Court in May 2024 for offences including attempted robbery.
After his release from that sentence, Martin committed a robbery in May this year. He received an extended sentence at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on September 3, consisting of six years in custody followed by two years on extended licence. He is currently serving that sentence.
Alun Williams, defending, told Mold Crown Court that his client had been “very candid” about the offence. He said threats had been made to Martin, although the court report does not detail who made the threats or their nature.
Mr Williams suggested that the grievous bodily harm matter should ideally have been dealt with when Martin received his extended sentence. He accepted that a custodial sentence for the offences was inevitable.
The defence also referred to difficulties Martin had experienced in his life, particularly since his teenage years. No further detail of those difficulties was reported in the available court coverage.
Background of the development
HMP Berwyn is a prison in Wrexham, North Wales, where both Martin and Mr Hanley were serving sentences at the time of the assault. The case was heard at Mold Crown Court, which handles serious criminal matters from across the region.
The sentencing follows Martin’s earlier guilty pleas to inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent and possessing a prohibited weapon inside prison. The weapon was an improvised one: an electrical plug attached to a wire.
The case also highlights how courts can deal with offences committed by prisoners who are already serving extended sentences. Rather than imposing a consecutive term that could create administrative and release complications, Judge Mills made the new sentences concurrent, while indicating that the Parole Board should consider the later violence when assessing Martin’s release.
Prediction: How could this affect prisoners and prison staff?
For prisoners at HMP Berwyn and similar establishments, the case may reinforce the consequences of carrying or using improvised weapons. Martin’s conviction for unauthorised possession of a prohibited weapon in prison shows that such items can lead to separate criminal charges, even where the underlying assault is dealt with at the same hearing.
For prison staff, the case underlines the risks associated with improvised weapons in communal areas such as canteens. The prosecution’s account described a sudden attack in a queue, with another prisoner needing to intervene before staff could stop it.
For victims of prison violence, the case may also show the practical difficulties that can arise when an injured person declines to give a statement. Mr Hanley’s refusal to co-operate limited the information available to the court about the longer-term impact of his injuries, although the prosecution was still able to present evidence of the assault and the defendant’s admissions.
For Martin himself, the most significant practical consequence may come at the parole stage. Judge Mills indicated that the Parole Board would be expected to consider this further violent offending when deciding whether Martin should be released on licence after serving two-thirds of his extended sentence.
