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Gwendoline Calvert outside St Pancras Coroner’s Court with partner Tony Flasher |
Prisoner hanged himself after his emergency alarm was ‘ignored’
A PRISONER who found another inmate dead in his cell has described how Pentonville prison had a “culture” of officers ignoring emergency alarms, an inquest heard yesterday (Thursday).
Paul Calvert, 40, hanged himself with a belt five years ago in the Holloway prison.
An inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court this week marks the second time his death has been investigated by a coroner after an earlier verdict of misadventure was overturned in the High Court in April. Judges said the jury charged in 2007 should have been allowed to consider “neglect” when returning their verdict.
Speaking outside court yesterday, Gwendoline Calvert said she hoped she would finally see justice for her son.
Ms Calvert, a retired Hackney pub landlady, said: “At the end of the day no one’s been held to account for Paul’s death.
“I was highly dissatisfied with the verdict of misadventure. I want an admittance of guilt or neglect from the prison service. When he pressed the alarm it was a cry for help.”
Mr Calvert pressed his emergency alarm buzzer before hanging himself from the bars of his cell, but no prison officer came.
It is not known how long his alarm went off for before he was found by another inmate because the bell had been silenced. At the time of his suicide officers were also involved in a game of backgammon.
The court heard it was tradition for officers to send “trusted” prisoners to respond to alarms because the calls were usually for trivial items such as magazines and lighters, and they silenced the buzzer because they were “fed up with the sound,” according to former prisoner James Manning.
He said: “I saw numerous officers tape the [buzzers] up. It was a culture there. Even if you ring the bell they wouldn’t come and answer it. Even if you were dying, they wouldn’t come and answer it.”
He added: “I’m not here to get anyone into trouble, I’m just here to say if there’s been any malpractices and bring them to the fore and get what people need – justice for Paul.”
Prison officers blamed inmates for taping over the alarms because it disturbed their sleep, but admitted they didn’t remove it.
“Now and then we would take it off, when we noticed it, but it was never the first priority,” said officer Stephen Cummings.
Mr Manning, who was one of the backgammon players, said he was watching the game when he noticed lights were lit up “like a Christmas tree” on the panel and went to respond.
After visiting various cells, he eventually reached the Mr Calvert, a father-of-two, and discovered his body.
“I don’t think its fair what happened to Paul,” added Mr Manning. “It could have happened to me and I’d like someone to be in my corner if it happened to me.”
The investigation also revealed that in the days before his death, concerns were twice raised that Mr Calvert was a risk to himself.
Solicitor Rob Pryce said he ordered an “at risk” note be added to his file, while Naeem Qureshi, a prisoner trained by the Samaritans, warned Pentonville’s governor that Mr Calvert appeared to have “lost all hope”.
Despite that, Mr Calvert was not put on the at-risk register of prisoners and did not have his belt taken away from him.
The inquest continues.
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