A CONVICTED Yorkshire murderer, allegedly attacked in prison by Muslim inmates because of his previous army service, accepted in court yesterday he was a fantasist but denied lying about the incident.

Jeremy Green, who killed one woman and tried to kill another when he held them prisoner in a flat for eight hours, told a jury at Leeds Crown Court he was attacked at Wakefield Prison on April 21 last year, two weeks after he was jailed.

Green, 27, said he had trained at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and served in the army for four and a half years, becoming a Lieutenant in the Yorkshire Regiment before he was discharged for bad conduct.

He told Tony Kelbrick, prosecuting, he had seen service in Cyprus and Afghanistan and attended a training exercise in Jordan. He was court martialled for theft from other officers and was discharged in 2013.

He said he had been to the gym at Wakefield prison on April 21, then followed another prisoner, a white Muslim, into the corridor to wait for a door to be opened allowing them back into the wing.

Green said he was minding his own business when a “large black man came round the corner. I was facing away but out of the corner of my eye I could see him raise his hand, he struck me with his left hand to the side of my face.”

Giving evidence by video link from prison, he said he had heard that man called Denny. He said the blow was struck with force causing his head to bounce back and hit the wall.

He claimed two others then joined in the attack.

He tried to break through them and did so but said he was then punched to the nose then kicked by others. One pointed at him and said “he has killed Taliban,” it was said.

He had shouted for help and an officer from the gym came to his aid and the chaplain opened the door to the chapel and he managed to get inside. He said he was covered in blood and his nose and cheekbone were found to be broken.

On trial are Mantu Asiedu, 42, Barrington Denny, 26, Adam Mac, 30, Jewel Uddin, 29, and Shah Rahmin, 22, who each deny causing grievous bodily harm to Green at HMP Wakefield.

The jury was told all are Muslims, Uddin was convicted in June 2013 of an offence of engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, Rahman was convicted of a similar offence in February 2012, Asiedu was convicted in November 2007 of doing an act with an intent to cause an explosion with intent to endanger life or property.

Denny was convicted in December 2011 of murder and Mac in the same month was convicted of three robbery offences and one attempted robbery.

Timothy Greene QC representing Uddin suggested Green was lying, that rather than first being involved with Denny the incident began after he insulted and attacked Uddin.

The defence counsel suggested Green enjoyed manipulating people. He put it to Green that his time in Afghanistan had not involved him actively leaving Camp Bastion. Green said he twice went there for a few weeks and had gone on one patrol. He agreed he was there for acclimatisation.

“You are a fantasist aren’t you,” asked Mr Greene.

“Yes, I was,” replied Green. He agreed he had not earned any medals and that one of the thefts from other officers involved him taking a jacket with a medal on it.

“The fantasy in that case was that you were wearing a medal,” he was asked. “Yes,” replied Green.

He accepted he had not killed anybody in Afghanistan and denied he had made a comment about the Taliban in the corridor.

He agreed that among items he brought back from Afghanistan was a knife which he had used in his murder and attempted murder.

Green said he attacked the women having lost control, and said he had intended to kill himself but had been arrested.

Mr Greene read to him a report after his conviction that he was “callous, deceitful, dishonest and self-centred” and suggested that was still accurate.

The trial continues.