A prison governor has been charged with misconduct after a woman took her own life inside a young offenders’ centre in Northern Ireland.
Gary Alcock has been suspended since last May following an inquiry into the death at Hydebank, south Belfast, by Prisoner Ombudsman Pauline McCabe. He has been given a fortnight to respond to the charge.
Prison Service chiefs last night confirmed disciplinary process was under way.“Proceedings have been instigated and it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage,” said a spokesman. Mr Alcock was governor at Hydebank when Frances McKeown (23) was discovered on the floor of her cell during a routine check by staff in the women’s section in May last year. Three hours earlier a teenager was found dead in his cell. He had also taken his own life. There is no suggestion Mr Alcock’s actions contributed to Ms McKeown’s suicide. – (PA)