Prisoner’s assault on fellow inmate leaves him with broken jaw, braces, teeth removal

Sep 10, 2023

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Caine Woodmass, pictured in 2019, now sports a full facial tattoo that includes thick stenciled lettering. Photo / NZ Police

A prisoner attacked another inmate with such force that his jaw was broken, two teeth were removed and he was forced to wear braces for seven “loose” teeth.

Caine Trevor Lance Woodmass’s surprise assault was in view of a Corrections officer as the victim asked to be let out of an exercise yard early at Spring Hill.

Woodmass, 23, and the victim were in the same unit and, on the morning of August 10 last year, they were exercising in the “F-pod yard”.

The victim approached the Corrections officer at the gate when he was suddenly attacked by Woodmass, who kicked him in the stomach and called him a “nark”.

The force of the kick caused the inmate to stagger backwards. Woodmass took the opportunity to use a combination of left and right punches as he pinned the man against a brick wall.

Woodmass – who now sports a full facial tattoo, including thick stencilled lettering – then stepped back and “sized up” the victim’s face before unleashing several “individual jabs in a way that a boxer would”.

The victim tried to protect his face but Woodmass was unrelenting and carried on with another flurry of punches to his head.

The inmate fell to the ground.

Woodmass walked off and began mingling with other prisoners.

The victim’s injuries were extensive. The left side of his jaw was broken, which required a metal plate to be inserted; two teeth were surgically removed and braces were fitted to seven front teeth that came loose after the attack.

When spoken to by police, Woodmass admitted his actions and said he “just wanted it sorted”.

Woodmass was in prison after smashing a hammer to the side of an associate’s head a month earlier.

He had gone round to the victim’s house in Kiwi St, Rotorua, just before midnight on July 18 last year.

Woodmass opened the door and the victim walked out, asking him what he wanted.

He was struck to the side of the head with the hammer. Woodmass threw the hammer away before running off.

In the Hamilton District Court, his counsel Karen Quinn suggested Judge Glen Marshall offer a slight discount for her client’s willingness to attend restorative justice, as well as his letter of remorse, which seemed sincere, she said.

She added that he was a young father and wanted to change to ensure his child didn’t go through what he did at his age, labelling his upbringing as “chaotic”.

“Really, the writing was on the wall as to how he was going [to grow up].”

Judge Marshall took into account his “disadvantaged” start to life, along with his guilty pleas, and told him he hoped he would make the various changes to his life.

On charges of assault with intent to injure and injuring with intent to injure, he was jailed for 22 months.

Belinda Feek has been a reporter for 19 years, and at the Herald for eight years, joining the Open Justice team in 2022.

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