Inmates ‘prone to dying’ at Wormwood Scrubs, warns senior coroner

A jury have been informed Jack Zarrop, 23, had been let down by police, jail and well being employees accountable for his care.

Mr Zarrop died after having been discovered with ligature in his cell on March 20, 2021.

Dr Anton van Dellen, the senior assistant coroner for west London, has stated in a prevention of future deaths report: “In my view there’s a threat that future deaths may happen except motion is taken.”

There have been 13 self-inflicted deaths on the Class B males’s jail in White Metropolis since 2018 – of which Mr Zarrop was the youngest.

He had been arrested by the Metropolitan Police and brought into custody at Heathrow Polar Park station on March 17 of that yr.

After being stored in a single day, the following day Mr Zarrop appeared earlier than Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court docket.

A suicide and self-harm warning kind was accomplished, noting that he “would hold himself if he was remanded to jail”.

Regardless of this, Mr Zarrop was not assessed as being prone to suicide or self-harm.

The previous care-leaver – described on the inquest as “clever and charismatic” – had a historical past of suicide makes an attempt, alcohol and substance misuse and psychological well being issues.

Throughout a nursing evaluation on the morning March 19, Mr Zarrop expressed a want to see the jail psychological well being staff however was by no means referred to them.

Requested what psychological well being meant to him, he replied: “Quite a bit. I’ve a monologue in my head that tells me I’m not ok and likewise instructs me to hurt myself.”

The inquest scrutinised a course of often known as Evaluation, Care in Custody and Teamwork.

In his report, Dr Van Dellen added: “Coaching of company employees within the ACCT course of doesn’t seem like a part of the commissioning course of by NHS England… This locations residents in jail prone to dying given the excessive stage of utilization of company healthcare employees.”

An inquest jury concluded on Friday Mr Zarrop died by suicide.

However together with a number of failures by these accountable for his care, the panel discovered extra ought to have been performed in police custody to assist and handle his dangers.

Helen Stone, of Hickman and Rose solicitors, representing Mr Zarrop’s household, stated: “The jury’s conclusions lay naked how serial and elementary failures by almost all these accountable for preserving Jack protected in jail contributed to his dying.”

Caroline Finney, of the charity Inquest, added: “Jack’s was one in all 13 self-inflicted deaths in Wormwood Scrubs since 2018, a quantity which displays that the jail will not be a protected or ‘rehabilitative’ surroundings.

“Jack explicitly requested for assist and he was failed.”

The Ministry of Justice was approached by the Commonplace for remark.