Prison food made bowel disease worse, inquest told

An inquest expected to last seven days got under way at Norfolk Coroner's Court on Wednesday

A prisoner who died of malnutrition repeatedly complained that prison food was making his Crohn's disease symptoms worse, an inquest has heard.

Mohammed Azizi, 32, died at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on 15 May 2023, while serving time at HMP Norwich.

Kelly Stannard, head of safety and segregation at HMP Chelmsford - where Mr Azizi served part of his sentence - told the hearing he repeatedly claimed that prison food gave him stomach ache and that he was often not given the meal he had asked for.

Paula Unwin, a senior nurse at the prison, said Mr Azizi regularly declined medication and would refuse to go to hospital as he did not want to be seen in handcuffs.

'Fit and well'

In 2021, Mr Azizi, from Waltham Abbey, Essex, was sentenced to more than five years in prison for arson.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard how he had started a number of fires which destroyed two garages and nine vehicles.

Mr Azizi's brother, Walid Azizi, told the inquest that his brother's mental health had deteriorated in the months leading up to his offences due to a relationship breakdown, and that prior to that he had been "fit and well".

Through a written statement, he said that Mr Azizi started drinking alcohol and taking drugs, and often appeared "paranoid and delusional".

He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Mr Azizi was transferred from HMP Chelmsford to HMP Norwich in August 2022

In prison, Mr Azizi told his family that his Crohn's disease was getting worse and that he would only agree to potentially lifesaving surgery to repair a perforated bowel once he left prison, despite medical recommendations.

Crohn's disease is a lifelong bowel condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed.

Ms Stannard said that Mr Azizi had told her that he had "difficulty coping in custody as the Crohn's was getting worse" and that the "pain was constant".

In August 2022, he was transferred to HMP Norwich where his family was told there was "round the clock healthcare".

However, he continued to lose weight and his mental health deteriorated, his brother told the court.

He added that Mr Azizi died "a matter of days" before he was due to leave prison.

A pathologist recorded his cause of death as cardiac atrophy and failure caused by malnutrition, Crohn's disease and self-neglect.

Mr Azizi's inquest at Norfolk Coroner's Court is expected to last seven days with the conclusion being decided by a jury.