A man who is serving a life sentence for the murders of his pregnant partner and three children has been jailed for the attempted murder of a fellow inmate at a maximum security prison.
Damien Bendall has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 15 years at Teeside Crown Court over the attack at HMP Frankland in Durham in 2024.
The 36-year-old smashed inmate Michael Mullaney four times in the head with a claw hammer without warning.
Bendall’s first blow was to the back of his head, causing Mr Mullaney to slump unconscious to the floor before he was hit three more times, the court heard.
The defendant is already serving a whole life sentence for the murders of his expecting partner and three children in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, in 2021.
The attack in a workshop in May 2024 was so severe that a prison officer believed the victim could be dead, Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said.
When the officer drew his baton and sounded an alarm, Bendall submitted, the court heard.
Mr Perks said: “The defendant immediately threw his hammer to one side and put his arms out to show he had stopped his assault on Mr Mullaney.”
The attack took place at HMP Frankland in Durham in 2024
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After he was handcuffed, officers asked Bendall why he had attacked his friend, with whom he had sometimes played dominos.
Mr Perks said: “The defendant responded ‘I don’t know’.”
His victim spent four nights in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, being treated for depressed skull fractures and bleeding on the brain.
The court heard that the severity to the blows could have been fatal.
Former cage fighter Bendall had planned the attack to engineer a move to segregation unit because he was concerned that his mental state was deteriorating, Vanessa Marshall KC, defending, said.
She said Bendall wanted to apologise to Mr Mullaney, saying: “He held no contempt for Mr Mullaney, despite what he did.
“There is evidence that they were friends and he wanted to convey his regrets and apologies.”
Judge Francis Laird KC said the sentence was life with a minimum term of 15 years, but that Bendall will never be released in any event.
Bendall murdered pregnant Terri Harris and three children in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, in 2021
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PA
He said the attempted murder was aggravated because it happened in prison and due to his “previous convictions for the most serious violent and sexual offences”.
Bendall murdered pregnant Terri Harris, 35, her children – 11-year-old Lacey and 13-year-old John Paul – and Lacey’s friend, 11-year-old Connie Gent, in Chandos Crescent, Killamarsh, Derbyshire, on September 19, 2021.
He was given a whole-life order in December 2022.
He used a claw hammer to carry out the prolonged attacks at the home he shared with Ms Harris.
He also admitted to raping Lacey.