Inmate, 25, died while in Parc Prison

AN INQUEST has opened into the death of an inmate found unresponsive in his bed at a prison which has seen a series of sudden deaths.

Cameron Lee Anthony, 25, from Aberdare, died on March 19 at Bridgend’s Parc prison.

Coroner’s officer Lynne Carroll told Pontypridd Coroner’s Court: “The deceased was an inmate at Parc prison and the only occupant of his cell.

“On the morning of March 19 prison staff were carrying out morning routines and unlocking doors.

“On attending the cell of the deceased they could see he was unresponsive in bed and that there was vomit present. The alarm was raised and CPR commenced.”

Mr Anthony was pronounced dead at 8.46am that day. A post-mortem examination at the Princess of Wales Hospital on Monday did not give a cause of death.

The pathologist wrote that this was “awaiting further investigation”.

Assistant coroner Rachel Knight said there was “reason to suspect the death was unnatural” and that it was necessary to open an inquest.

She added that it would be a jury inquest because it was a death in detention. A date was not set but a pre-inquest review will be held in around six months’ time. Ms Knight offered her condolences to Mr Anthony’s family.

Six inmates have suddenly died at Bridgend’s HMP Parc since February 27.

South Wales Police are treating two of the six deaths between February 27 and March 19 as non-suspicious but believe the other four are drug-related.

Detective Steve Jones said: “At this stage we cannot confirm that the four deaths are connected to any specific drug.

“However, a fast-track process has been undertaken and identified the presence of nitazene-based substances in connection with all four deaths.

“Spice has been identified in two of the four deaths. Post-mortems have been completed on two of the four men and at this stage cause of death is inconclusive and we are awaiting toxicology. The other two men are awaiting a post-mortem.”

Nitazenes are synthetic opioids that can be up to 300 times stronger than heroin. In December several of them were classified as Class A drugs. According to Sky News they have been found in heroin, cannabis, and most commonly in black market pills sold as diazepam.

Spice, sometimes called the “zombie drug” because it can leave users contorted in unnatural positions for hours, is a Class B substance designed to mimic cannabis.

Four of the inmates who died suddenly at Parc in recent weeks have been named.

They are Justin Lewis, who died on March 16, Christopher Stokes, who died on March 9, and John Rose and Jason Hussey, who both died on February 27.

Mr Lewis’ death is being treated as non-suspicious.

The prisons ombudsman Adrian Usher said last Thursday: “Yesterday we said that we are not making any assumptions as to whether there is a link between these deaths. However, after initial inquiries, we now believe at least four out of the six deaths are drug-related.

“These deaths likely involve spice (a psychoactive substance) mixed with another family of drugs.

“There has been a national public health warning issued about this particular drug, the name of which is yet to be determined, but we believe that at least two of the deceased at HMP Parc had taken this substance. It is therefore likely the deaths are all spice-related.

“We urge all prisoners who are in possession of spice to dispose of it immediately. This is a dangerous drug and we do not want to see any more unnecessary deaths occur. Friends, family, next of kin, and staff in prison – please share this message as wide and as quickly as possible.”

The ombudsman is investigating 20 deaths at Parc since January 2022, including the six since February 27 this year.

Mr Usher said the names of other prisoners to have recently died at the prison will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Last Thursday a 40-year-old man from Birmingham and a 34-year-old woman from Penylan, Cardiff, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and money laundering. Both have been released under investigation. A 34-year-old man, also from Penylan, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. He is on conditional bail pending further inquiries.

It is understood this investigation is not linked to any investigation into deaths at HMP Parc.

Parc, which is run by private security firm G4S, is one of the biggest prisons in the UK. A study in June 2023 found that Parc had 1,734 prisoners – significantly over its certified normal accommodation capacity of 1,559 inmates.

And in a 2022 inspection some 49% of surveyed Parc prisoners said it was easy to get hold of illegal drugs there compared with 32% in similar prisons. The inspector also wrote that self-harm levels were “high” among Parc prisoners and that there had been five “near-fatal incidents” in the first six months of 2022.

A G4S spokeswoman said: “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the prisoners who have died recently at Parc. We have a comprehensive drugs strategy and are working tirelessly to reduce supply and demand in the prison.

“This includes robust security measures, working with the police, and engaging substance misuse service providers and health partners. We welcome the Prison and Probation Ombudsman warning of the dangers of psychoactive drugs.”