Inquest into the death of Steven Trudgill, who died at HMP Highpoint, starts Wednesday 4 May 2016

3rd May 2016

Suffolk Coroners Court,
IP-City Centre, 1 Bath Street, Ipswich, IP2 8SD
Before HM Senior Coroner Peter Dean
4 May 2016, expected to last 16 days

A jury inquest will begin tomorrow into the death of 23 year old Steven Trudgill who died at HMP Highpoint. He was found hanging in his cell by a prison officer on 9 January 2014 and died shortly after.

Steven was a vulnerable young person, with longstanding mental health problems. He was remanded into custody when he was 18 and subsequently transferred 4 times to different prisons. He began to self harm whilst in custody and had been subject to prison suicide and self-harm preventions procedures on numerous occassions throughout his detention, including at HMP Highpoint where he was transferred in December 2013, shortly before his death.

Steven’s family are concerned about the adequacy of the mental health support he received, as well as the emergency response when Steven was discovered in his cell. This inquest will also consider whether previous recommendations from the PPO and Clinical Reviewer in past HMP Highpoint deaths had been properly implemented.

Steven’s mother Jennie Buckle said:

“I am hoping that this inquest will provide a thorough enquiry into our family’s concerns about the way my son was treated and the possible failures in his care so that real changes can be made to save the lives of vulnerable people in the future.

I am concerned that despite previous recommendations about lessons to be learned and changes to be implemented nothing has changed.

My son was a loving, generous, funny, polite boy and despite where he died he wasn’t a ‘bad’ person. He was extremely vulnerable and we feel he was let down time and again by ‘the system’. Steven is missed every single day and my heart is completely broken, I don’t know how I will face life without him.”

Steven’s death was the second of four self inflicted deaths within a short period at HMP Highpoint.

 

First Name	Last Name	Date of Death	Location	Age	Status	Classification
Levi	Cronin	20.09.2014	Normal, Double Cell	26	Sentenced	Self-inficted
David	Smith	24.05.2014	Normal, Double Cell	38	Sentenced	Self-inflicted
Steven	Trudgill	09.01.2014	Normal, Cell	23	Sentenced	Self-inflicted
Callum	Brown	08.04.2013	Normal, Single Cell	25	Sentenced	Self-inflicted

INQUEST has been working with the family of Steven Trudgill since 2014. The family is represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group member Sara Lomri from Bindmans solicitors and Jesse Nicholls from Doughty Street Chambers.

Ends