A PRISONER killed a fellow inmate after an apparent disagreement over laundry, a court heard.

 

John O'Neil, 27, punched Raymond Gavin at HMP Bowhouse in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire on June 11 last year.

Gavin, 52, never recovered from the blow and later died in hospital.

It lead to O'Neil pleading guilty to a charge of culpable homicide at the High Court in Glasgow.

The dad-of-two - who already had a history of violence - was sentenced to 28 months.

The fatal attack happened in the laundry room of HMP Bowhouse.

The court heard Gavin "skipped the queue" by putting his bag of washing before O'Neil's.

O'Neil eventually lashed out at Gavin by punching him on the body.

The victim returned to his cell, but was later heard screaming. A guard found him to be "sweaty and in obvious pain".

His condition deteriorated and Gavin went into cardiac arrest. He was later found to have significant bleeding in the spleen area.

Gavin died in Kilmarnock's Crosshouse Hospital on June 27.

O'Neil was identified as the culprit, but initially denied the attack.

O'Neil's QC Ian Duguid described the death as "tragic" with "unanticipated consequences".

Mr Duguid also told the court the disagreement was of a "trivial nature".