A CONVICTED murderer who kicked a paedophile to death in his cell while serving a life sentence had been encouraged to talk about violent fantasies during therapy sessions, an inquest heard.

Lee Foye stamped on the head of Reading child sex offender Robert Coello in a cell on G wing at the category B Grendon Prison in Buckinghamshire. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries.

Foye, then aged 27, was said to have fantasised about attacking people who terrorised his family after his conviction and told a therapy group Coello should be “put down” for his crimes.

He was handed a further life sentence with a minimum tariff of 31 years after the brutal killing in August 2010.

Coello, a 44-year-old former bus driver, was jailed in 2006 after admitting four counts of rape, 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of penetrative sex.

Speaking at the Beaconsfield inquest on Monday, Patrick Mandikate, head of psychotherapy and G wing therapist, said: “Foye talked about having violent fantasies about people he didn’t know.”

But Mr Mandikate said this was not viewed as a serious problem as it was encouraged behaviour.

He said: “In therapy, if someone begins to talk about fantasies it is seen as a good thing, as they are alerting us to thought processes.”

Foye was serving a life sentence for the murder of 19-year-old Lauren Strachan in August 2005.

The prison’s operational manager Christopher Dowthwaite said Coello’s murder was the first violent death in the prison’s history.

Geraldine Ackerman, a forensic psychiatrist on G wing, said Coello upset other members of his group in therapy by talking about his offences before they had become familiar with one another. She said: “People on the outside find it very difficult to listen to details of sexual offending against a child.”

Mr Dowthwaite said a report of concerns had been opened involving Coello before the attack and he attended meetings with therapists and staff, but the situation was deemed resolved 10 days before the incident.

Prison guard Brian Morgan told the inquest the attack happened during free time when the prisoners were allowed to move between cells.

Describing the moment he found Coello, he said: “I opened the cell door. There was a massive pool of blood under his head on the floor, he wasn’t moving and was unresponsive.”

Mr Mandikate stressed there had been no other trouble between Coello and Foye before the attack.

The inquest continues.