Maghaberry Prison head must go - inquiry

Updated: 12:32, Tuesday, 9 June 2009

The head of a maximum security prison in Northern Ireland is to be replaced after an inmate, who had been on suicide watch, hanged himself in his cell.

1 of 1 Maghaberry Prison Inquiry into prisoner's death
Maghaberry Prison
Inquiry into prisoner's death

An inquiry said the Colin Bell had been the victim of 'delinquent behaviour' by some junior warders in the prison.

The 34-year-old was serving a life sentence for murder at Maghaberry Prison near Lisburn

He had a history of self-harm including 15 incidents in the four months before his death and had also made 73 calls to The Samaritans.

He was on suicide watch and supposed to be monitored every quarter of an hour by warders.

Video camera footage later showed some prison staff lying in bed watching television when they were supposed to be on duty.

An inquiry said Colin Bell was the victim of an 'insidious sub-culture of delinquent behaviour by some junior staff at Maghaberry Prison.

It says the senior management should be replaced by a prison governor from outside Northern Ireland.

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