Prison officers ‘left suicidal inmate in dark cell with makeshift noose’

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “He had also been difficult at times to manage, had appeared to be abusing spice and to have been, perhaps understandably, unhappy with the cell in which he was, on basic regime, spending the vast majority of his time.” Mr Paine was seen at 1.45pm on the day he died by prison officer Kristopher Mason, who reported he had made a noose, Mr Atkinson said. Mr Mason said an “emotional” Mr Paine told him he had not had his medication, had no lights in his cell and wanted to see the prison chaplain. “You may conclude Mr Mason would have been entitled to believe that these more senior and more experienced officers knew more than he did.” In the case of each of the defendants, their breach of the duty of care that they owed Mr Paine involved a significant failure on the part of each to take obvious and straightforward steps Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC Mr Atkinson said the discovery of a noose in Mr Paine’s cell was a “critical moment in the chronology”. He added: “In the case of each of the defendants, their breach of the duty of care that they owed Mr Paine involved a significant failure on the part of each to take obvious and straightforward steps.” Fairhurst, of Chorley, Lancashire, and Jameson, of Prescot, Merseyside, deny gross negligence manslaughter and an alternative charge of failing to discharge general health and safety duty at work contrary to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.