Inmate Edward Davis sent back to cells for shanking, stabbing Christchurch prison officer

A Corrections officer attacked by a prisoner at Christchurch Men's Prison said he 'bears no ill' towards his assailant, long-term inmate Edward Davis. Photo/ Greg Bowker

A prison officer was lured from his office and then shanked and stabbed by an inmate, who was upset at not being able to contact his pregnant partner.

Edward Davis, 38, has spent much of his life in and out of custody and will now have to spend another year and 10 months behind bars for attacking and wounding the prison officer at Christchurch Men’s Prison last August.

Defence lawyer Marcus Zintl told the Nelson District Court at sentencing on Tuesday that it was important the victim knew there was “no bad blood” going forward.

Davis, who appeared in court via video link from prison, read aloud an apology letter he had written to the victim, saying that although they were “just words”, he would like to be able to shake the victim’s hand and apologise, if he could.

“I never meant for this to happen,” he said.

Judge Garry Barkle said he was sure the officer, who loved his job and wanted to continue working in it, would appreciate the apology.

“It seems to me he is a very compassionate prison officer who is dedicated to his role.

“It looks like he previously had reasonable interactions with Davis, and despite what happened, he is not ill-disposed to him going forward,” Judge Barkle said.

Davis was on remand, awaiting sentence on other matters when on August 1 last year, when he attacked the Department of Corrections prison officer.

Zintl said “rightly or wrongly”, Davis was aggrieved at not being able to reach his partner who he believed was in the throes of a miscarriage at the time.

He is now the father of a 4-month-old son.

The police summary of facts said Davis lured the officer out of the guard room, in the middle of the remand centre, and as the victim approached the door, Davis lunged at him with a shank.

A scuffle followed, during which the victim was stabbed in the arm, resulting in a puncture wound, and a broken thumb.

He was off work for a time and placed on ACC.

Davis did not initially admit the charge of wounding with intent to injure, having disagreed with report writers, and how matters unfolded leading to what happened.

He ultimately accepted responsibility, and acknowledged that the officer should not have been subjected to such conduct, and entered a guilty plea in late February, Judge Barkle said.

He said Davis was assessed as being at high risk of re-offending, but wished to lead a “normal life”.

However, the reality was that he had spent most of his life in prison, where antisocial behaviours were commonplace, and it would now be “very difficult” for him to move forward, Judge Barkle said.

He said in sentencing Davis to prison that a weapon was used in the attack, and the victim was injured while at work while carrying out his duties, which was a “serious aggravating feature”.

Judge Barkle said there was also a level of pre-meditation in that he lured the victim to an area where he was confronted.

“That took some thought and planning on your part,” he said.

Judge Barkle acknowledged that Davis had suffered “profound and significant” emotional and physical abuse and that his life of drug use and violence had been founded upon abandonment, chaos and neglect.

Davis shouted a message to his partner and infant son as he was led back to prison.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.