Exeter Court reporter Ted Davenport writes for the Journal.

A killer from Exmouth attacked a prison guard after he was told he could not leave his cell.

Cameron Davis was on remand at Exeter Prison in April 2023, six weeks after he murdered Lorna England in an Exeter park, when he punched the prison officer in the face.

Exeter magistrates court heard Davis was 'wound up' after an incident with a fellow inmate in a jail workshop. The prison officer was backing out of the cell when Davis gritted his teeth and launched himself at him and gave him a black eye.

The officer struck back and two colleagues came in to help him get Davis back into his cell as the inmate continued to swing punches which missed their target.

Davis, aged 32, of Exeter Road, Exmouth, admitted assaulting an emergency worker and was jailed for 26 weeks, consecutive to his life sentence, by District Judge Stuart Smith at Exeter Magistrates Court.

The judge said it was an unprovoked attack by Davis who lost control adding attacks will not be tolerated on jail staff doing a challenging job. 

The new sentence increases the minimum term which Davis must serve before applying for parole from 28 years to 28 and a half years. He was found guilty of murdering 74-year-old grandmother Mrs England by a jury at Exeter Crown Court last month.

Solicitor Rob Jacobs, defending, said Davis had only been on remand for six weeks and had 'pretty severe mental health issues'.

He said Davis had been told by the guard he could not leave his cell for the rest of that day and 'lashed out in panic' due to claustrophobia.

Mr Jacobs said: "It was his fault, he was to blame for what took place. He has many years to serve whatever happens.”

Davis was described as being narcissistic and manipulative when he was jailed for life by  Mrs Justice Stacey.

He attacked Mrs England, who was a complete stranger, in the Ludwell Valley Park in Exeter on the afternoon of February 18 last year and stabbed her in the neck and chest.

She died despite her suffering cuts to her hands where she had tried to grab his knife and fight him off. She was on her way home from a trip to Lidl to buy flour when he followed her into woodland and killed her.

He tried to blame the NHS for his crime because he had been assessed by a mental health practitioner at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital three hours earlier and discharged rather than admitted to the Wonford House hospital, which was full at the time.

Davis warned staff that he may kill a stranger but also accepted he was in control of his actions and thoughts and was warned that anything he did would be considered as pre-meditated.