An inmate in a Sydney prison was asked, "Are these the gentlemen you want to complain about?" before being bashed by guards, a court has heard.

Michael Quinn, then 46, was serving a six-month sentence at Silverwater prison for breaches of an AVO, when he was allegedly punched and kicked by corrections workers after making a complaint about one of them in April 2015.

Michael Quinn outside court on Monday. Credit:Melanie Kembrey

Four prison workers - Paul David, Sam Faitua, Paul Hammond and Daniel Curry - have pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm in company and affray.

Supporters of the accused, many correctional workers, packed into Burwood Local Court on Monday, with magistrate Alexander Mijovich​ warning them to stop laughing at evidence and "looking aggressively" at the witness.