A WARDER at Scotland's only all-women's jail was left covered in blood after a high-profile inmate was allegedly attacked by another prisoner, a court has heard.
Theresa Riggi was discovered lying on the floor of her cell with blood on her face and a clump of hair on the bed at Cornton Vale prison near Stirling, James McCabe told Stirling Sheriff Court yesterday.
Mr McCabe, 56, who had gone to the cell after hearing screams, told jurors he moved the inmate onto a seat and called for a nurse.
He was giving evidence on the first day of the trial of Angela Hamilton, 40, who is accused of grabbing Ms Riggi by the hair and striking her repeatedly on the face and head with a razor on November 19, 2011. Hamilton, 40, of Glasgow, has pleaded not guilty.
The warder said Ms Riggi was screaming and panic-stricken at the sight of her own blood.
He said the blood was smeared over her face and some ended up on his arm and uniform as he helped her.
However, the officer said he did not see anyone leaving the cell or any weapon lying around.
He was shown a section of long blonde hair in an evidence bag and agreed it could have been that which he saw lying on the bed.
Mr McCabe also said he knew Ms Riggi "had attempted suicide at the scene of her crime".
Another warder, Calum Graham, said he heard screaming from Ms Riggi's cell before seeing Ms Hamilton, who occupied the cell next door, leaving the room.
Mr Graham told jurors that he was on breakfast duty that morning and had seen Ms Riggi pass him to collect her food.
He said she seemed fine, did not appear to be injured and returned alone to her cell in unit seven. Shortly afterwards he said he heard screaming.
Mr Graham said: "There was an incident. I heard screaming coming from unit seven. I didn't know who it was at the time. I moved towards the room it was coming from. Ms Hamilton was coming out of the room at that time."
He said Ms Hamilton then went into her own cell, which was next door to Ms Riggi's, without speaking to him.
Mr Graham said he looked into Ms Riggi's cell as he passed by on the way to lock Ms Hamilton up. He said: "Theresa was kneeling on the floor and there was blood underneath her nose. She was still screaming. No-one else was there."
He added: "I shut Angela's door and locked it. I knew that she was involved in an incident."
The prison officer said he then helped lock the rest of the prisoners in their cells, which was standard procedure, before standing guard outside Ms Riggi's cell.
He told the court that another prison officer was in the cell and Riggi was sitting on a chair with blood coming from her nose, still "crying and upset". He said the other officer had contacted a nurse and the prison manager.
The jury was also shown CCTV footage of a corridor of cells in the unit from the morning of the incident, which included Riggi and Hamilton's.
Describing the footage, Mr Graham said Hamilton could be seen getting halfway down the corridor and then turning back.
Depute fiscal Claire Bremner, prosecuting, asked him: "Apart from staff we can see no-one else going into Theresa Riggi's cell apart from Angela Hamilton, is that correct?" "Yes," he replied.
Kenna Murchison, a jail manager, said she found a blade in Ms Riggi's cell which she thought was a prison razor.
Sheriff William Gilchrist instructed the jury not to search the internet for Riggi's name. The trial continues.
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