Guards said dead inmate was alive

A SUICIDAL inmate in a problemplagued prison was dead in his cell for over an hour - because guards thought he “looked alive”.

HMP Northumberland staff hadn’t checked if Gary Lines was still breathing, even though he hadn’t moved.

A new report has aimed fresh criticism at the trouble-torn prison, which claims it has since acted on it.

The 44-year-old, who had a history of self harm and depression, “had been dead for some time” when staff eventually cut him free.

But a probe has revealed multiple welfare checks were carried out that morning even though he “must have been dead at that time”.

And one guard’s account - in which he claimed Lines was in bed - has been questioned by a watchdog due to the prisoner’s “advanced rigor mortis”.

“There must be some doubt whether his recollection was correct,” states the Prisons and Probations Ombudsman report.

“We are concerned that the staff who checked Mr Lines’ welfare on the morning he died did not establish he was alive and breathing, as they should have done.”

The watchdog previously criticised the privately-run prison for keeping a cancer-stricken inmate on a chain until days before he died.

The jail was also branded “dangerous” by Labour Party chairman and Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery after footage emerged of naked inmates fighting on chains.

Having been recalled for theft, Lines had only been in the prison for a fortnight when he took his life.

And the report revealed: “He was not prescribed anti-depressants, which he said he needed to help drive off suicidal thoughts, until the day before he died.”

Staff found Lines on the morning of September 18, 2015.

The night before, checks found he had been watching TV in his cell.

One guard told investigators he was “certain” he was in bed during a welfare check at 6.52am although this was questioned.

And another, who visited around an hour later, said Lines was standing in a “totally natural position” looking out of his cell window but he could not recall seeing him move.

The guard believes the prisoner gave a verbal response, despite medical evidence suggesting he had died “several hours” earlier.

When staff eventually entered at 9am, the report adds: “[The guard] opened the cell door and started talking to Mr Lines and was puzzled when he did not reply. He began to feel that something was not right, as Mr Lines did not move.”

Mr Lines was a troubled £30-a-day heroin addict who had spent time in Durham Prison. He had been recalled for an alleged theft against someone he referred to as a “mother figure”.

“Mr Lines had left a note in his cell in which he said that he was very sorry to all the people he had hurt in his life,” adds the report.

And making a string of recommendations, the watchdog stated: “Although we cannot be sure what time Mr Lines died, the evidence suggests that he had been dead for some hours at 9am.

“We are not satisfied that checks that morning were sufficiently thorough particularly as Mr Lines had been identified as at risk of suicide and selfharm.”

Aspokesperson for the prison, said: “The death of a prisoner in our custody is devastating for their family, staff and other prisoners. We cooperated fully with the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s review of the 2015 incident. Alongside the external healthcare provider at the time, we accepted the recommendations made in 2016 and implemented an action plan.”