INQUEST: PRISON STAFF NOT TO BLAME IN HANGING DEATH OF WIFE-MURDERER

NOTHING could have been done to prevent a man from taking his own life in his prison cell while serving time for murdering his wife, a jury has concluded.

Paul Jordan (pictured inset) was found hanged at HMP Altcourse, Fazakerley on July 6, 2018, just weeks after being sentenced to 14 years for the murder of Elizabeth Jordan, known as Betty, in Bangor on July 31, 2017.

An inquest into the 54-year-old’s death was opened last month.

The court heard that planned checks by prison staff, at 5.30am and 7.30am on the day of his death had not taken place and that counselling sessions had ended.

However, the jury concluded it was unlikely that made a difference.

The jury’s conclusion stated: “It is extremely likely that [Jordan hanging himself] was done deliberately, with intent to take his own life.

“There is insufficient evidence as to determine whether the missed 5-5.30am check would have found Mr Jordan in a position where urgent medical attention would have changed the outcome.

“With reference to the missed 7.30 check, it is unlikely to have contributed to Mr Jordan’s death.

“As per the evidence presented, in the weeks prior to Mr Jordan’s death, there was a visible decline in his mood and appearance, becoming increasingly unkempt and losing weight, as stated by witnesses.

“It is likely the way in which Mr Jordan presented himself would differ depending on his audience. He confided in counsellors and friends, but not in prison staff.”

The jury found that Jordan “sought to manipulate” others to get what he wanted, such as coming off ‘suicide watch,’ officially known as Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT).

The jury found: “At the time of Mr Jordan’s death, it is unlikely it would be obvious to prison staff that he posed an immediate threat of selfharm or suicide.

“This was not evident either to fellow prisoners or family. Due to Mr Jordan’s underlying risk factors and more recent decline, however, it ought to have been.

“Mr Jordan was assessed in line with the ACCT process.

“However, this was insufficiently acted upon due to a failure of communication between different functional departments.

“It would be unlikely in Mr Jordan’s case that remaining on the ACCT closed on June 11, 2018, would have made a difference to the outcome, due to previous selfharm attempts made whilst on an ACCT.”

During the inquest, assistant coroner David Lewis heard from witness Stuart Sumnall, a former inmate and friend of Jordan in the months leading up to his death.

Mr Sumnall said Jordan would regularly talk about his daughter, son and wife and “how bad he feels and what it’s done to the family”.

He was described as growing increasingly depressed and appearing unkempt in the weeks before he killed himself.

During his trial in May 2018, Caernarfon Crown Court heard Jordan had been “fixated” on the idea his wife was seeing another man, even though there was no evidence this was true.

Jordan and Betty were separated, although they remained on good terms and even spent a day out at Chester Races together two days before the murder.

On that trip they encountered a man Jordan believed was in a relationship with his wife, which a judge said was likely to have been the “trigger” for his act.

He accepted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, but pleaded not guilty to murder.

However, he was found guilty of murder after a trial.