A prisoner who begged to be sent back to jail so he could finish a prison course was asked by a judge 'how long' he would like inside - in a move costing taxpayers up to £25,000.

Canterbury Crown Court heard this week how thug Troy Smith savagely attacked a man in Dover, Kent, in August last year, leaving him with bleeding on the brain.

The 41-year-old beat up victim Adam Jaskurzynski, leaving him unconscious, and stole his rucksack before being nicked.

Once inside a police cell he urinated on the bars and spat at a police officer.

Smith, who admitted GBH and theft, pleaded with Judge Nigel Van Der Bijl to send him back to jail so he could complete a string of prison courses he was taking.

He told the judge: 'I would like you to give me another six months because then I can complete the courses which will help me towards my future.'

Smith spent six months in prison on remand before he appeared before court, where his lawyer asked the judge to indicate the maximum sentence he would give if the thug pleaded guilty.

When Judge Van Der Bijl said he may hand Smith a suspended prison sentence if he pleaded guilty, the defendant appealed for more time behind bars.

Thaiza Khan, defending, told the court how Smith, of Dover, Kent, was part way through a number of prison courses and asked the judge to give an 'indication' of a sentence Smith was likely to get for pleading guilty.

Judge Van Der Bijl told the court that 'normally' he would not pass an immediate jail sentence and that Smith would have been freed, the Kent Messenger newspaper reported yesterday.

Instead, however, the judge jailed Smith for six months giving him enough time to complete the courses.