A prisoner already serving two life sentences has been handed a third after stabbing a fellow inmate with a makeshift knife crafted from a wooden spoon and a tuna can. David Watts, 43, attacked the 61-year-old victim at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire on 21 June last year.
Watts denied attempted murder but admitted wounding with intent and possessing a bladed weapon. Police said the homemade weapon caused significant harm. The victim initially thought he had been punched on the side of the head before realising he had been stabbed in the neck.
Watts was originally sentenced to life in 2001 for wounding and burglary. While serving that term at Whitemoor, he was convicted of the attempted murder of another inmate in 2010 and given a second life sentence.
On Monday, he received his third life sentence at Peterborough Crown Court after denying attempted murder but admitting possessing a bladed article in prison and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The Crown Prosecution Service ordered the attempted murder charge to remain on file.
