Convict turned off fellow 'agitated' prisoner's alarm before he was found hanged

A prisoner told an inquest into the death of a fellow inmate in a Lancashire jail that he answered and turned off a cell bell activated by the other man.

The evidence was given at a hearing into the death of Patrick Clayton, aged 29, in Garth Prison, near Leyland.

He was found hanged in his cell in September 2024 and despite desperate efforts to revive him he died the following day.

Senior Lancashire coroner Chris Long is holding an inquest with a jury at County Hall, Preston.

Fellow inmate Les Baines, whose tasks included cleaning the segregation unit at Garth where Mr Clayton was being kept, said in a statement that he was allowed to wander around the unit with staff permission.

When officers were busy he would even answer cell bells - situated inside a prisoner's cell when a prisoner wanted something or needed help. Mr Baines said he knew Mr Clayton.

The inquest has heard that on the day of the hanging, Mr Clayton had been "agitated" after being unable to make a video call to his children. He had to be restrained when taken back to his cell.

Staff left him to "cool down" before revisiting him. The hearing was told that around half an hour before he was found hanged, Mr Clayton had pressed his cell bell. No staff saw it activated.

Mr Baines said he answered it and turned the alert off. He went to Mr Clayton's door and spoke to him briefly. He knew that he had been causing trouble on the unit.

Mr Baines said he told Mr Clayton that officers had agreed he would get a phone call later on and that seemed to calm him down.

As he carried on his work he heard the alarm raised after Mr Clayton was found in his cell.

Prison officer Max Bamford, supervising officer in the unit, told the inquest he knew Mr Clayton had a tendency to get agitated very quickly. But left to calm down he would settle down.

He said the decision to restrain the prisoner was appropriate and carried out properly.

Mr Bamford said he did not know that Mr Baines had answered the bell from Mr Clayton's cell, and if he did he would have asked a member of staff to see Mr Clayton.

He said the prisoner did not threaten to harm himself and he did not believe there was a risk of him doing so.

(Proceeding)