The family of a prisoner who died suddenly in his cell in Maghaberry Prison have said the way the news of his death was delivered to them by a governor was “appalling”.
The death of the man, whose identity has not being made public, was the subject of a Death in Custody Report by the Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.
The prisoner, aged in his thirties, had been extradited back to Northern Ireland from France in July 2020 after a European arrest warrant was issued for him following a failure to attend court in 2013.
The report from interim Prison Ombudsman Jacqui Durkin found the man, know as ‘Mr O’, was discovered unresponsive in his cell at around 3am on September 28 2020.
A post-mortem found the cause of death to be suicide, with the report adding there was “no history of self-harm” and “no identifiable reasons for concern” over his mental health.
Questions were raised by the man’s family over several aspects relating to his death, including the manner in which they were informed, support he received while in custody and the adequacy of mental health support available in the prison.
“The manner in which that news was delivered to me was nothing short of appalling,” his mother told the investigation.
“The governor did not even afford me 30 seconds to call my husband in from the garden.
“It was a brutal statement with no forewarning, no invitation to take a seat, no preparation in the form of a warning of impending bad news.”
The ombudsman’s report included a recommendation for the Prison Service to review the procedures of how next of kin are informed about their loved one’s death. The Prison Service has accepted this recommendation.
It was also concluded that the care received by the inmate from the Prison Service and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust was “reasonable and appropriate”.
The report states: “I am satisfied the care provided by Prison Service and Trust was reasonable and appropriate. It was in line with policy at that time.
“I am pleased improvements have been made to mental healthcare as the mental health screen which is completed after the comprehensive healthcare assessment, now takes place face to face.”
Other recommendations including additional safety checks on prisoners and mandatory use of night custody officer safety belts have also been accepted by the Prison Service.
Ms Durkin said: “The Covid-19 pandemic was a very difficult time for people committed to and working in prisons in Northern Ireland and prisoners in quarantine were spending long periods of time in their cell alone.
“Telling a parent about the death of their son under any circumstances is always difficult but when that death occurs in prison it has its own complexities and sensitivities.
“I offer my sincere condolences to Mr O’s family on their sad loss and I hope that this report helps to address some of the questions they have about Mr O’s death.”
