Gazette photographer -- with a hairbrush.

Minutes after being sentenced, Rupert Elroy Archibald flung a broken-handled hairbrush at staff photographer David Skinner's face.

The object bounced off a camera before striking Mr. Skinner squarely on his left temple.

"I had no idea what hit me at all,'' said Mr. Skinner.

"I saw the expression on his face like he was going to do something,'' he explained. "Then I saw his arm go back, but I was expecting a punch.'' It was not clear as to how Archibald was able to enter the court with a brush.

When contacted yesterday, Deputy Prisons Commissioner Marvin Trott declined to comment on the matter and Prisons Commissioner Edward Dyer did not return calls.

Public Safety Minister Maxwell Burgess said the matter was of an administrative nature and therefore he could not comment.

Court security was beefed up throughout the three weeks of the high profile case.

Photographer hit Yesterday, Prison officers, and plain-clothed and uniformed Police officers packed out court room seating.

Although both Archibald and co-defendant Michael Eugene Dillas have been remanded in custody since their 1997 arrest, they appeared yesterday in regulation prison wear for the first time.

Another first yesterday was the extra prison officer positioned between the two men as they sat in the dock.

After sentencing, they were each handcuffed to a prison officer and led out separately.

But Archibald was still able to launch into the unprovoked, surprise attack without any intervention by any of the security personnel.