Jack James Peterson sentenced in Rockhampton Magistrates Court

A court has heard how a routine prison headcount resulted in a guard almost losing the tip of his finger when a prisoner kicked a door.

Capricornia Correctional Centre, Rockhampton prison, Rockhampton jail, Etna Creek prison

It was meant to be a routine headcount, but it ended with a prison guard being seriously assaulted by an inmate.

Jack James Peterson, 27, pleaded guilty in Rockhampton Magistrates Court on Friday (February 17) to one count of serious assault of a corrective services officer.

The court heard prison officers at the Capricornia Correctional Centre were doing a routine headcount at 9.40am on March 6 last year.

Once the prisoners were moved into the exercise yard, the victim attempted to close the door, but it wasn’t closing properly.

The officer tried for about 10 seconds to close the door before Peterson walked up to the door and kicked it from the other side, crushing the victim’s in the door.

The court heard Peterson should have been standing along the fence with the other prisoners and not near the door.

The victim sustained injuries to his finger including lacerations which almost chopped off the top of the finger, fractures and crushing related injuries.

He was taken to the hospital where he received stitches to reattach the top of the finger, but did not require surgery.

The court hear Peterson a history of violent offending which included assaults, serious assaults, assaulting prison officers and torture.

 The court heard because Peterson was in custody serving a sentence for another violent offence, the jail term he received must be cumulative on his current term.

It was said in court Peterson grew up in Western Sydney where he had a “tough childhood” and had been involved in “gang culture”.

Peterson was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and will be eligible for parole in 2026.

Originally published as Jack James Peterson sentenced in Rockhampton Magistrates Court