HMP Northumberland inmate died from drugs given by visiting mother

A prison watchdog said it was concerned that drugs were "readily available" at the prison

A prisoner who died after swallowing drugs smuggled in by his mother should have been monitored, a report found.

Shaun Hughes died of respiratory failure caused by ingesting drugs at HMP Northumberland on 20 March 2016.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman concluded that he should have been taken to hospital after he was seen swallowing the package.

The prison's operator Sodexo said it accepted the ombudsman's findings.

Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Sue McAlister also raised concerns that there had been 12 other drug-deaths at the jail since Mr Hughes' death.

Swallowed package

She said: "If expert medical and nursing staff had monitored Mr Hughes in line with best practice guidelines, the outcome could have been different for him."

Ms McAlister found that drugs were still "readily available" at the jail despite a string of deaths.

Mr Hughes had been serving a three-year sentence at the jail near Acklington for burglary and possession of class C drugs.

On 19 March 2016, an officer spotted Mr Hughes' mother passing a package to him during a visit.

Staff intervened and tried to restrain him but he swallowed the package during a struggle.

His mother told staff the package contained a small amount of gabapentin for epilepsy.

'Prevent drugs'

She told staff he would be "fine". Mr Hughes was then examined by a nurse and did not appear to be intoxicated and was taken back to his cell at 16:35 GMT, the report said.

Staff recorded that he should be observed every 60 minutes, but he was only checked once before being found unresponsive almost 12 hours later.

Inspectors said Mr Hughes should have been transferred to a hospital to be monitored.

They also recommended the prison review its policy over what action should be taken if an inmate swallows drugs.

An HMP Northumberland spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with Mr Hughes and his family.

"We accepted the findings of the [ombudsman's] report and continue to do all we can to support those with addictions issues and to prevent the introduction of drugs into prisons."