HMP Berwyn prisoner died after taking Spice

Luke Jones had made an apparent suicide attempt days before he died

A prisoner who died after being found "slumped" at a Welsh prison had taken synthetic drug Spice, an inquest heard.

Luke Morris Jones, 22, from Blaenau Ffestiniog in Gwynedd, died after he was taken from HMP Berwyn to Wrexham Maelor Hospital on 31 March 2018.

The inquest into his death found he had been under close observation after an apparent suicide attempt days earlier, but this was reduced the day before.

His father questioned why the observations had been reduced.

The hearing, which is being held in Ruthin in front of a jury of three women and four men, heard Mr Jones was known to mental health care staff.

He had told staff "they should have let him die", Coroner John Gittins was told.

HMP Berwyn is one of the largest prisons in the UK

'Very rapid' death

At about 18:00 on 31 March, he was found "slumped" in his cell, covered in vomit. Staff started CPR and he was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead at 19:20.

Mr Jones died as a result of heart problems "promoted by the use of this drug" and his death would have been "very rapid," pathologist Dr Rodgers said.

Mr Jones was serving four years for robbery and was due to be released the following September.

The inquest heard a kettle was likely to have been used as an "improvised bong" to smoke Spice-laced paper.

Mr Jones is the first prisoner to die at HMP Berwyn, the inquest heard

In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Jones' father David Jones said his son had showed no signs of mental health problems before going into prison.

David Jones said he was told by a prison liaison officer after his son's death that he had been using Spice when he was feeling "low".

He said he could not understand why his son's observations had been reduced, especially when he was using Spice.

There was "clear" evidence of previous self-harm, Dr Rodgers found.

The inquest was told a prison officer checked on Mr Jones at 17:33 and again at 18:07 when he was found collapsed, prompting a "code blue" emergency alert.

Staff entered the cell and put him in the recovery position after finding he had shallow breathing.

A nurse also assisted prison officers until paramedics arrived and CPR was performed throughout the ambulance journey to hospital, the hearing was told.

The inquest continues.