Inmate who 'threw cup of poo' says it was chocolate

An inmate accused of throwing a cup of human excrement over a prison officer claimed the substance was chocolate bought from the prison shop.

The jury at Cardiff Crown Court watched CCTV of Courtney Matthew hurling the substance at Parc Prison in Bridgend before jumping over railings onto safety netting and shadow boxing.

The 34-year-old later told police he wanted to "embarrass" officer David Ashby by making other inmates think he was a victim of what is known inside as "potting".

Matthew, who did not appear in court, said he had instead thrown "melted Maltesers with water" in revenge for losing his job in the jail's servery.

Adding that he and the officer "didn't get along", Matthew said he was "not remorseful" and would do the same thing again "in a heartbeat".

Mr Ashby told the court he was sure the substance thrown had been human waste.

"The smell was terrible," he said, before revealing that other prisoners had warned him that something was likely to happen.

Mr Ashby added that Matthew would "break prison rules by sitting on the stairwells - a health and safety issue."

When asked to move he said the inmate would be "very slow to respond".

"I had to ask him many times and when my back was turned he would go back and sit there."

Matthew later told police he is "a chocolate addict" and that the substance had been "crushed Maltesers and water".

"I don't mess about with faeces," he added.

Investigating officer PC Nigel Davies told the court there was no evidence Matthew had bought Maltesers from the prison shop prior to the alleged incident.

He also told the court the shirt had not been forensically examined and had since been lost.

The trial continues.