A CHINESE prisoner with little English who took his own life in Maghaberry Prison was under stress because he did not know when he might go on trial on drugs charges, according to Northern Ireland Prisoner Ombudsman Pauline McCabe.
The prisoner was on remand for nine months without any knowledge of when he might go on trial and this was a contributory factor in his decision to take his life, Ms McCabe reported yesterday.
The name of the 36-year-old man, known as Prisoner B, who died on March 9th last year, is not being released at the wish of his family in China.
“Prisoner B was remanded into the custody of Maghaberry Prison on June 9th, 2008. Sadly, he took his own life nine months later,” Ms McCabe reported.
“In this time, Prisoner B – a foreign national with little command of the English language – appeared to have had no clear guidance or expectation of what the outcome of his trial would be, or, indeed, the timing of the trial. My investigation found that this ongoing uncertainty, combined with a number of other personal circumstances, contributed to his decision to take his own life.”
Her report noted how in prison he suffered from and was treated for bouts of depression. He hanged himself in his cell less than two weeks after he attended a remand hearing via video link where “it was evident” he was expecting to hear when his trial date would be set. This did not happen, however. After this hearing he was allowed a phone call with his family in China where “he was heard to be upset and sobbing throughout most of the call”.
Prisoner B was arrested with 47 other compatriots during a PSNI crackdown of cannabis factories in Northern Ireland. Eleven of the prisoners wrote a joint letter to Ms McCabe stating the length of the police investigation was a contributory factor in his suicide.
Ms McCabe issued nine recommendations to try to help prisoners in similar vulnerable situations. Northern Minister for Justice David Ford expressed regret over the prisoner’s suicide. He said the ombudsman’s concerns were being addressed.
“He was a vulnerable prisoner who had the added difficulties of having little or no English and being so far from home. Staff did much good work with him during his time in prison and he was allowed a free 10-minute phone call home on a weekly basis,” said Mr Ford.
“The ombudsman has, however, identified some shortcomings in relation to data recording and these are being addressed in the action plan which is being published in response to her report,” he said.