Watchdog finds no fault after prisoner suicide

Stephen Hodgson died in his cell in 2023

A prison watchdog has said it was "difficult" to see how the care and management of an inmate who died by suicide could have been different.

Stephen Hodgson, from Whitehaven in Cumbria, was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2020 for the attempted rape of a 17-year-old in Kendal.

The 26-year-old died in his cell at HMP Full Sutton near York on 3 February 2023.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, which investigated Hodgson's death, offered its condolences to his friends and family. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has been approached for comment.

Hodgson, who was housed in the site's segregation unit, was described as a "challenging prisoner" by the watchdog in a report published last week.

It said the inmate had also been sentenced to life in prison after wounding another inmate at HMP Wymott in Lancashire.

Hodgson was moved to HMP Full Sutton in September 2022.

Under observation

The watchdog said Hodgson had a history of poor mental health and personality disorders.

It said he was seen daily by mental health nurses and was prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medicines.

Hodgson assaulted both staff and prisoners, used threatening and abusive language and frequently self-harmed, the report said.

The day before his death, Hodgson had headbutted an officer in the face. Staff were told they would then only be able to unlock the inmate's door if four officers in PPE were present.

He was observed by staff every hour that night who did not report any concerns, the watchdog said.

On the morning of his death, Hodgson had self-harmed.

A supervising officer decided the prisoner should continue to be checked on by staff every hour.

Hodgson was declared dead a few hours later following a suicide attempt, the watchdog said.

It said it believed it was appropriate to keep Hodgson in a segregation unit and that it "did not appear" to negatively impact his mental state.

It also said there was "no indication" that his risk of suicide had increased on the day of his death or that he was in crisis.

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