Canberra prison volleyball game ends in inmate’s ear being bitten off

A jailhouse volleyball match in Canberra turned violent when an inmate bit off another prisoner’s ear, earning him extra time behind bars.

Benjamin John Wickes, 33, pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court to causing grievous bodily harm and choking his fellow inmate after the volleyball game ended.

The incident took place at Canberra’s only correctional centre, the Alexander Maconochie Centre on June 25.

The two prisoners were playing volleyball on opposing sides with several other detainees when they exchanged words at the end of the game.

Wickes went under the net and approached the other prisoner before they exchanged punches and fell to the ground.

“(Wickes) bit down on the victim’s ear with sufficient force to bite off a chunk of it … then spat out the part of victim’s ear that he had bitten off,” Justice Verity McWilliam said.

The court was told Wickes continued to hit the victim, gouged his eyes with his fingers then put him in a chokehold so he could breathe when he tried to get up.

Justice McWilliam said given the incident occurred during a team sporting game it was an opportunistic attack rather than premeditated, but there was high degree of violence.

“The consequence was severe in terms of a loss of a body part,” she said.

The court was told Wickes had a disadvantaged upbringing and deserved support to overcome his challenges, but had showed no remorse towards his victim after the attack.

He was sentenced to one year, five months and five days, with a non-parole period of six months and 19 days.

The sentence will be served partially concurrent with his existing sentence, meaning he will be eligible for parole on November 19.