A GRIEVING mother has blamed the death of her son on Winchester Prison, after he died there two years ago.

Michelle Steadman-Goodyear said that she and her family were devastated by the death of Craig Steadman, following the conclusion of an inquest into his death at Winchester Coroners' Court on Thursday, August 1.

Mrs Steadman-Goodyear said: “The family have been devastated by Craig’s death. He was let down by HMP Winchester and we are grateful to the jury for recognising that he could have been here today if it were not for failings at the prison. I hope their conclusion and the Coroner’s report help prevent the deaths of other vulnerable prisoners.”

As previously reported, the inquest looked into the death of Mr Steadman, who was discovered dead in his cell at the age of 32 on February 27, 2022.

The jury heard that Mr Steadman had been in and out of prison numerous times for non-violent offences from the age of 16, and that he struggled with his mental health and diabetes. He had been recalled to prison on January 13, 2022, where he was placed on ACCT (Assessment, care in custody and teamwork) monitoring after he attempted to take his own life on January 17. However, the monitoring was removed the next day after he appeared to improve.

Craig SteadmanCraig Steadman (Image: Contributed)

READ MORE: 'Living a nightmare': Mum of Winchester prisoner who died addresses inquest

Another ACCT was put in place on February 26 after Mr Steadman made another attempt at self-harme, with observations to take place twice an hour by staff.

However, Mr Steadman died on February 27.

The inquest lasted nine days, with jurors giving a final verdict on Thursday, August 1. The jury said that Mr Steadman took his own life, with his mental health being a contributing factor.

The jury foreman said that a probable contribution to his death was lack of contact with other people due to the Covid-19 pandemic and staff shortages, as well as inadequate following of the ACCT procedure when it came to monitoring him.

Speaking on the prevention of future deaths report, Dean Sinclair, head of security at Winchester Prison, said that all members of staff had received proper training on ACCT monitoring, and that work was being done to ensure that physical and digital reports on risks that inmates might have to themselves contain the same information. He added that training on emergency codes has also been issued to staff.

He also said that the amount of inmate deaths at Winchester Prison had fallen since 2022, with six in 2022, none in 2023, and only one, unexplained death so far in 2024.

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Gemma McMaster, regional manager of the Practice Plus Group, which provides healthcare at Winchester Prison, said that a new clinical matron role had been created, so medical staff have more opportunities to report any concerns they have regarding patients.

Speaking at the end of the inquest, area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said to the jury: “Thank you for your work. I am grateful to you for your service.

“It has not been an easy case, and you have done an exceptional job. I am grateful to you for agreeing to conduct this process.

“Thank you to the representatives and the family. You have been really brave and I am grateful to you for your attendance. Again, you have my condolences for your loss.”

The Ministry of Justice has been asked to comment.