A jury at an inquest into the death of a remand prisoner in Maghaberry has found he took his own life, but bullying from prison staff and a lack of appropriate care contributed.
Daniel McConville (22) from Lurgan was found dead in his Maghaberry cell on the night of August 29, 2018.
Diagnosed with ADHD, he had a history of depression, self-harm and drug abuse and had 80 previous convictions, as well as having spent time in custody as a minor.
He had been in Maghaberry since June 2018, having been arrested for burglary offences.
When admitted, the inquest heard that a mental health nurse had assessed him, but this was not done in person as she said this was standard practice at the time.
During July and August, there were reports of altercations with other prisoners and Mr McConville had complained of being assaulted by prison officers.
On August 29, a senior prison officer said Mr McConville was “visibly upset” and asked to be moved to another cell.
She opened a SPAR (Supporting Prisoners at Risk), meaning he was observed every 30 minutes.
She had agreed with a governor that he could be moved to another block with a greater focus on mental health, but another senior officer said it was reserved for prisoners who were “acutely” mentally unwell.
A prisoner, Roy Kerr, had given evidence that Mr McConville was bullied by a prison officer on the day of his death by slapping a plate of food out of his hand and pushing him into his cell.
The jury was told Mr Kerr had “a lengthy record of dishonesty” and was in prison for arson and attempted murder in May,
A further element considered by the jury was that Mr McConville had stopped taking his anti-depressant medication before his death and had handed his supply back to a nurse on August 28.
After deliberating for five hours, the jury said they were satisfied he took his own life, but could not agree on whether he intended to.
They added they were satisfied the prison service had contributed to the death through bullying by prison staff and “unsuitable reasoning” for denying him a move to another section of the prison.
“The level of care and respect towards Mr McConville was insufficient, unsatisfactory and lacking respect and dignity,” they said.
The South Eastern Trust, which provide medical care for Maghaberry, were also criticised for failing to hold a face to face mental health assessment and inadequate recording of him returning medication or assessing his supervised medication needs.
Other issues highlighted were an “unsatisfactory level of care and detail” when opening his SPAR, such as including his medical history.
The coroner went on to praise the “patience and resilience” of the McConville family and expressed concern about the capacity of the prison service to treat prisoners with neurodiversity issues like Mr McConville, stating he would write to the head of the prison service about the issue.
“I want to know what has changed since Daniel’s death, and how prisoners with ADHD are treated presently in Maghaberry Prison.”
Paul McConville, Daniel’s father, commented afterwards: “This inquest has been a difficult journey. We do not want another family to go through the suffering that we have.
" We hope that the prison service and prison health care sit up and listen to the findings of this inquest. Lessons need to be learned. There needs to be a proper review of all prisons so that further deaths are prevented. We miss you Dan and always will.”
The family solicitor, Owen Beattie, said the inquest had brought a spotlight to “the terrible treatment” of Mr McConville in Maghaberry,
“There now needs to be to be a full public examination of the conditions faced by prisoners not just in Maghaberry, but in all prisons throughout the country. The only appropriate forum for that is through a Public Inquiry”.
