FAMILY TO APPEAL PRISON DEATH DECISION
FATHER’S ANGER AS TOP LAWYERS RULE AFTER PERJURY PROBE THAT STRANGEWAYS WARDERS WON’T BE PROSECUTED
TWO prison guards investigated after allegations they committed perjury at an inquest into the death of a Strangeways inmate will not be prosecuted.
Crown lawyers have decided there is insufficient evidence to charge them.
But the family of John Ahmed, who died in 2015, have submitted an appeal against the decision made by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Mr Ahmed’s parents, John and Margaret, are taking civil action against the prison over their son’s death.
After a five-week inquest in early 2017, a jury concluded that prison officers used unlawful force against Mr Ahmed leading to his death.
The 42-year-old father-of-four died following restraint by prison officers, while a remand prisoner at HMP Manchester on July 29, 2015.
The coroner, Nigel Meadows, raised concerns about some of the evidence heard at the inquest, and referred the matter back to Greater Manchester Police at its conclusion. The force launched an investigation into ‘perjury and misconduct in public office.’
As a result, two prison officers were interviewed and a file prepared for the CPS by police. But no action will be taken against them after an investigation lasting more than three years.
The coroner said he would be following up his concerns about the lack of CCTV coverage of the areas where the restraints took place.
At the inquest in 2017, a forensic pathologist said the cause of Mr Ahmed’s death was ‘multi-factoral,’ but said being restrained was a contributing factor.
Mr Ahmed’s heart stopped beating in the middle of a struggle with a number of prison officers during a drugs search.
Prison officers and nurses tried to revive Mr Ahmed, but he died at North Manchester General Hospital.
During the course of the hearing, a number of witness accounts were said to have differed to their original police statements, the inquest was told.
Summing up the evidence, coroner Mr Meadows said: “On more than one occasion it was suggested witnesses had tailored their evidence to suit an account that was not true.”
During a search of Mr Ahmed, officers found the package contained tobacco and a tablet tightly wrapped in cellophane, a medication for pain relief ‘often misused in prison.’
Officers carried out a drugs search on Mr Ahmed in the isolation wing. Prison staff claimed they started to restrain Mr Ahmed after he leaned forward, as though to try and assault one of the staff members, it was said.
As he entered the cell, a prison officer claimed Mr Ahmed turned and lifted his arm as though to assault him. At this point officers brought Mr Ahmed down to the ground, once again into the prone position.
Officers decided to take him to the segregation unit, with the court hearing that he was uncooperative on the way.
When officers from the unit took over to perform another search on him, Mr Ahmed was said to be ‘thrashing his arms around’ and ‘kicking out.’
Mr Ahmed, originally from Swinton, Salford, was found to have had a cut on his wrist, where handcuffs had been, and a red mark on his back.
After he resisted efforts to be restrained, officers used the mandibular angle technique of restraint, when force is applied to the nerves of the jaw to ‘exert pain to gain control,’ the inquest heard.
Mr Ahmed then began to ‘gurgle’ and ‘froth’ at the mouth, with a silver piece of paper which had been in his mouth being retrieved. Tests found it had no trace of drugs or medicines.
Mr Ahmed became pale and unresponsive. A nurse performed CPR and paramedics were called.
At the end of the inquest, the jury returned a narrative conclusion.
Mr Ahmed Snr said: “We have lived with this for five years, and it has devastated the family.
“I have launched an appeal against the CPS decision regarding the prison officers. It took three years, four months for the investigation and the CPS decision, which is not acceptable.”
In a statement, the CPS said: “Greater Manchester Police referred a file of evidence to the CPS following their investigations into potential offences by two prison officers from HMP Manchester of perverting the course of justice and perjury. The evidential file related to evidence the prison officers gave during the inquest into the death of John Ahmed. Having carefully considered all the evidence we have concluded that the legal test for a prosecution was not met.”
A spokeswoman added: “I can confirm that Mr Ahmed has contacted the CPS to request a review of the decision under the CPS’s Victims Right to Review (VRR) scheme.”
The CPS says it will normally try to complete an independent review within 30 working days but when a case in sensitive or complex it can take longer.