An inmate found carrying an improvised knife designed to cause 'serious disfiguring injury' in Norwich prison has been jailed for one year.

Kurt Nelson, 20, of HMP Norwich, pleaded guilty at Norwich Crown Court on Tuesday (October 23) to possession of an offensive weapon inside the prison on June 14 this year.

The defendant appeared via videolink.

Andrew Thompson, prosecuting, told the court that Nelson had been stopped by three prison officers who suspected he had concealed a weapon down the back of his trousers.

A female prison officer attempted to persuade him to hand the weapon over but Nelson had to be restrained and searched, the court heard.

Officers found an 'improvised weapon consisting of a plastic knife with two razor blades attached with some form of wire', Mr Thompson said.

At the time Nelson was on remand awaiting sentence for wounding two people, a burglary and three counts of possessing a bladed article over the course of six weeks last year – offences for which he was subsequently jailed for 11 years, with a further four years on licence.

Gavin Cowe, for Nelson, said a mitigating factor was that 'concern' that people involved in the cases for which he was on remand would mean him 'ill will' had 'led him to take the course of action he did'.

Judge Andrew Shaw said there was' no reason whatsoever to have an item like that' which had been 'deliberately fashioned to cause serious disfiguring injury'.

He dismissed what Mr Cowe had referred to as his client's 'concern' and said: 'You are entirely the author of your own predicament.'

Items like this can 'undermine prison security' and 'contribute to the culture of fear and violence' in prisons, the judge said.

Addressing Nelson, the judge added: 'Seeing you on the screen today somewhat insouciant, grinning at times, is somewhat concerning. You seem to not be taking this seriously at all.

'If you carry on the way you are, you're going to waste your life behind bars.

'You're only twenty, it's frankly depressing to see you like this.'

Judge Shaw sentenced Nelson to one year in prison, concurrent with his ongoing imprisonment.