Man sentenced after pouring boiling water over fellow inmate before beating and raping him

Robert Reynolds, 29, had denied grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of rape and a sexual assault but a jury at Salisbury Crown Court found him guilty of all offences following a five-day trial. The court heard that Reynolds attacked the victim, a man who was in his 20’s at the time, in July 2021, when they were prisoners at HMP Winchester, in Romsey Road. Reynolds threw boiling water from a kettle at the victim, causing burns to his back and face before punching and kicking him. He then raped and sexually assaulted the victim, the jury was told.

The victim was initially treated at the prison before being taken for treatment at a specialist burns unit in hospital. He later disclosed the sexual offences.

On December 13, Reynolds, currently of HMP Bullingdon, was jailed for 12 years following a hearing at Winchester Crown Court. Detective Sergeant Harry Wilson said: “This was a horrific attack on a vulnerable man in a prison.

“While the victim has since left prison, he continues to deal with the physical and mental impact of what happened to him.

“This was a difficult and long investigation and I hope this shows that we will work closely with the prison to investigate any criminal offences that occur there.”