Inquest Jury Finds Staff Failures Might Have Contributed to Vulnerable Prisoner’s Death
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12 minutes ago
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The family of Mesut Olgun, who took his own life on his first night at HMP Hewell, has received crucial findings after an inquest jury concluded that failures by staff might have contributed to his death in June 2018. The 30-year-old was found hanging in his cell while on remand, six days before his death in hospital from a hypoxic brain injury.
The inquest heard that Mr Olgun was categorised as high-risk upon arrival after telling staff he intended to take his own life. Despite a recommendation for constant watch, prison officers instead opted for 15-minute checks; however, only a third of these checks were actually carried out. Prison Governor Joseph McFarlane gave evidence stating that HMP Hewell had only two ligature-resistant cells, both located in the segregation unit, and that the prison had not installed any additional safer cells or applied for funding to do so.
Coroner David Read expressed significant concern, stating he would issue a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to the prison's minister, as he is concerned that vulnerable prisoners like Mr Olgun will be denied an extra level of protection unless the use of safer cells is properly reviewed. The inquest further heard that staff failed to give Mr Olgun unrippable bedding and clothing and that there was a four-minute delay before prison staff called an ambulance, a failure that the prison service has since accepted and addressed.
Evidence confirmed that Graham Evans, an Operational Support Grade on duty that night, created false reports in the prison log to cover his mistakes regarding the missed 15-minute checks. Mr Evans was subsequently found guilty of Misconduct in a Public Office at Worcester Crown Court in November 2023.
At the conclusion of the inquest, the coroner apologised to Mr Olgun’s father for the delay in the hearing, with the visibly upset father expressing his hope that no one else would have to endure the family’s ordeal.
