Probe into death of teenager at prison
A TEENAGER has died while in custody at a women’s prison.
Annelise Sanderson died at HMP Styal, near Wilmslow, on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old’s family have been informed, the Prison Service said.
The Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) – which looks into all deaths and complaints in custody – will now lead an independent investigation into her death.
A Prison Service spokesman said: “HMP Styal prisoner Annelise Sanderson died in custody on 22 December and our condolences are with her family and friends at this difficult time.
“The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed.”
Ms Sanderson is the fifth inmate to die at the prison over the last three years.
Nicola Birchall, 41, died while in custody at HMP Styal in February 2018.
On June 4, 2018, Imogen Mellor, 29, died at the prison.
Christine MacDonald, 56, was found collapsed in her cell while serving a sentence at the women’s prison on March 3, 2019. She was taken to
Wythenshawe Hospital where she later died.
Susan Knowles, 48, died at HMP Styal on May 10, 2019.
HMP Styal is currently being investigated following the death of a baby at the prison in June.
It is understood that neither the woman or staff were aware she was pregnant until she went into labour on the toilet on June 18.
She had been given paracetamol after complaining of severe stomach pains over the course of several days.
But when it became clear she was in labour and going to give birth, she was assisted by prison and healthcare staff, but the baby was stillborn, The Guardian reported at the time.
Four months later, in October, the prison went into lockdown following an outbreak of Covid-19.
Inmates who tested positive for the virus were told to remain in their cells or prison houses as Public Health England worked with prison bosses to manage the outbreak.
As a result, all visits were suspended. The Ministry of Justice did not say how many inmates and staff members had tested positive for the virus and declined to comment on whether or not any inmates had become ill enough to require hospital treatment.
Prisoners were allowed to stay in touch with their families through secure video and phone calls and were allowed time out of cells and exercise where possible.
HMP Styal, a former orphanage, was first opened as a women’s prison in 1962 to serve female inmates from Strangeways in Manchester.
It is the only female prison in the region with a capacity of 486 inmates.