Man died from butane gas exposure after leaving prison

Mr Maniatt arrived at Ty Newydd bail hostel on 27 March 2023 after being released from prison

A man died from a lack of oxygen after inhaling butane gas in his bedroom while under the care of the probation service, an inquest has heard.

Louis Maniatt, 43, from Newport, was found dead in his bed with a half empty canister of butane gas at the foot of his bed and an empty canister in his bedside table at Ty Newydd bail hostel in Bangor, Gwynedd, in April 2023.

The inquest, held in Caernarfon, heard that Mr Maniatt had been in and out of prison several times during his life and had a history of struggling with his mental health.

Sarah Riley, north west Wales assistant coroner, put his death down to intentional consumption of butane gas, returning a verdict of misadventure.

Mr Maniatt arrived at Ty Newydd bail hostel on 17 March 2023 after being released from prison.

He had been due to be there for eight weeks, but was found dead in his bed about four weeks into his stay.

On the morning of his death, Mr Maniatt was checked into his bedroom by staff three times as part of regular "welfare checks" conducted with each resident throughout the day.

Staff are expected to get a "roused response" from each resident which includes a "thumbs up", or an "audible response", with the purpose of ensuring they are well.

The inquest heard that at 06:00 a staff member knocked on Mr Maniatt's room and called out to him to check he was OK. The staff member reported "hearing Louis sigh and the sound of the plastic mattress as he rolled over".

Two hours later he was checked again by a different staff member, but there was no audible response from Mr Maniatt. The staff member said she "saw him in his bed" and it "looked like he was sleeping". She later admitted to a senior member of staff that she "hadn't gotten a roused response" from Mr Maniatt.

At 11:00 a third check of the day was conducted by another staff member, who upon entering the room found Mr Maniatt lying in his bed unresponsive.

The staff member then touched Mr Maniatt's arm and found him to be "cold to touch" and "stiff". He was unable to locate his pulse, and presumed Mr Maniatt was dead.

The emergency services were then called, and he was confirmed dead by paramedics later that day.

The inquest heard that Mr Maniatt had previously struggled with his mental health, but was in a "happy mood" the day before his death and had expressed his "excitement" at being able to see his family soon.

He had been prescribed medication to help him with his mental health, but had issues obtaining it regularly after being released from prison.

A postmortem found "pink-ish spots" on Mr Maniatt's skin which, according to the doctor, is usually associated with a lack of oxygen or asphyxia.

In sharing her verdict, the coroner said she had been assured there "are now more robust processes in place" following Mr Maniatt's death, and was satisfied that action had been taken place "with a view to prevent future deaths".