Rochester man head-butts child molester after sentencing

Strafford County inmate Josiah Davies leans in as he prepares to head-butt convicted child molester Christopher Elwell on Thursday inside a Strafford County Superior Court. (Screen capture/WMUR video)

DOVER - A former Rochester man was head-butted by a fellow jail inmate inside a courtroom at Strafford County Superior Court on Thursday just moments after admitting his guilt in the sexual assault of a four-year-old girl in Dover in June.

Christopher Elwell, 29, currently of Dover, had just pleaded guilty and been sentenced by Superior Court Judge Mark Howard to a seven and a half to 15-year sentence and returned to the back row of the courtroom to sit down when fellow inmate Josiah Davies, of Rochester, got up from where he was sitting and violently head-butted Elwell at least twice.

Video of the event was captured by a WMUR cameraman.

Christopher Elwell, left, Josiah Davies (Police mug shots)

Elwell was charged in June for sexually assaulting the girl at a Dover Housing Authority property on Mineral Park Drive.

Elwell was living on Linden Street in Rochester in 2009 when he was indicted on Duty to Inform charges after he moved to a different location without reporting to police.

His sexual offender registry began after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to having sex with a 14-year-old.

On Thursday Elwell pleaded guilty to assaulting the 4-year-old at a Dover Housing Authority while watching pornography on his cell phone.

Davies, who was in the courtroom for a separate hearing, waited until Elwell returned to the back of the courtroom after his sentencing, stood up, took a couple of quick steps toward Elwell and delivered at least two strikes before a Strafford County Sheriff's Deputy was able to shove him aside and take him down.

Davies could get hit with a Class B felony for the attack, which could mean up to 15 years in prison.

Davies was arrested by Rochester Police earlier this month on 17 forgery counts after they found him in a vacant Lafayette Street apartment without permission.

The investigation into the forgeries had begun in April after Holy Rosary Credit Union officials notified police about the fraudulent transactions.

It wasn't clear whether Elwell required treatment after the altercation. He was seen walking on his own from the courtroom escorted by sheriff's deputies.