Inquest: Prison warders 'warned of fears for inmate'

Warders were warned about concerns for the safety of a prisoner facing sex charges less than 24 hours before he was found dead in his cell, an inquest heard today.

The family of farmer John McGrath had requested a review of CCTV footage from Maghaberry in a bid to establish the extent to which he was monitored on the night he died.

McGrath, 49, had asked another prisoner David Osbourn for cord used to fasten laundry bags the day before he was discovered bound by an elaborate series of knots under his duvet.

A jury at Belfast Coroner’s Court was shown a series of clips from a camera which recorded the movements of staff and inmates in the Bush House wing, where McGrath was being held on December 11 and 12 last year.

As McGrath’s relatives looked on the footage revealed:

:: Osbourn approaching three prison officers at 9.27am on December 11. One officer later confirmed the inmate had raised concerns for Mr McGrath’s safety.

:: Two officers approaching Mr McGrath’s cell at 9.30am.

:: At 11.32am nurse Lynn Cairns entered the cell with a prison officer before leaving eight seconds later.

:: Checks were carried out – by an officer without keys to the cells – shortly after 9.30pm and every hour until 4.44am.

:: There was no check on McGrath’s cell at 6.45am, even though both cells at either side of him were checked.

:: The cell was checked again shortly after 7.30am and opened at 8.17am, when McGrath’s body was discovered.

After the jury had viewed the CCTV film the inquest heard that unseen footage showed Osbourn returning to McGrath’s cell and standing at the door for a minute, shortly before 7pm.

When the hearing first opened in August, Osbourn told the inquest he had last spoken to McGrath, a father of eight, before he alerted prison staff.

But the jury heard the footage also showed Osbourn standing at McGrath’s cell door for a minute, shortly before 7pm, the night before he was found dead.

After submissions from solicitors representing the Prison Service and the family, Coroner John Leckey ruled it would be appropriate if Osbourn was re-examined to explain his original statement.

Mr Leckey also said an adjournment would allow the CCTV footage to be re-examined to establish the movements of Nurse Cairns on the afternoon of December 11.

McGrath, of Drumbrick, Ederney, Co Fermanagh, was due to appear in court on sex charges the day after he was found dead on December 12, 2004.

As well as being bound with shoelaces, a shirt and a towel, he was also discovered with a plastic bag around his mouth and pieces of the bag stuffed up his nose.

The deputy state pathologist said the cause of death was ligature compression of the neck and suffocation.

The inquest heard McGrath tightened a ligature around his neck by pulling himself down his bed by his ankles.

Mr Leckey welcomed the findings from the CCTV footage, even though it took more than two months to reconvene the hearing.

He told the jury: “It was a very valuable exercise.”

The inquest was adjourned until December 8.