‘My brother was ill – I hoped being locked up would force him to get the help he needed’
TERROR OFFENCE SUSPECT TAKES HIS OWN LIFE AWAITING TRIAL IN PRISON
THE sister of a man who died in Armley Prison, after being charged with left-wing terror offences, has spoken out about his mental health battle.
Dominic Noble, 32, from Huddersfield, died after taking his own life on Saturday, August 15 - one of two deaths recorded at the Leeds prison last week.
He was awaiting trial after being charged with 14 offences, including possessing documents likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Mr Noble was arrested in connection with suspected left-wing terrorism offences in June.
His sister, Emily Morley, has told the Examiner that Mr Noble had severe mental health issues prior to his arrest.
She said: “I started noticing a change in his behaviour in October last year.
“Me and my mum went to Scotland for a week while he stayed in Huddersfield, and for the entire time he was having a mental breakdown, threatening to commit suicide. From then on, we had issues.
“There was a big do at Christmas where we fell out, he completely lost the plot. He was mentally ill but he never got the help he needed.”
Emily says she, her mum and her grandma tried to get psychiatric help for Dominic. However, his mental health deteriorated quickly and this caused the relationship between the siblings to sour.
“Prior to him going off the rails we had a good relationship,” Emily said. “We saw each other every week, and we’d spend time together with my son. On his decline, everything suffered. Obviously, my brother was suffering, but he had serious issues. In many ways, I was hoping him being locked up would force him to get the help he really needed.”
When he was admitted to Armley Prison earlier this year, Emily says he continued to show signs of severe mental illness.
“While he was in prison, he’d be ringing my mum and my grandma every day, talking about how he was hearing voices, worrying that someone was going to try and kill him. These are classic signs of severe mental illness.
“Last Saturday was when he took his own life, he rung my grandma in the morning and left a message for my mum.
“It wasn’t about ending his own life. Nothing would have given you the impression that’s what he was going to do - but he went down for his dinner at 11.30am, and was found dead two hours later.”
Police officers are currently investigating Mr Noble’s death.