Drugs 'believed to be involved' in death of prisoner found in cell (original) (raw)

An inquest has opened into what is thought to be a drug-related death of a prison inmate. Shay Liam Franklyn Andrews was a prisoner at Bridgend's HMP Parc, which has seen a series of sudden deaths in recent weeks.

Coroner's officer Beverly Morgan told Pontypridd Coroners' Court that the Birmingham-born 23-year-old died on March 18. She said he was pronounced dead at 1.24am after being found in his cell. "Drugs are believed to be involved," she added.

A post-mortem examination carried out on March 22 gave a provisional cause of death as "pending further investigation". Assistant coroner Rachel Knight said an inquest would be opened as there was reason to suspect the death may have been unnatural. A pre-inquest review will be held in around six months. Ms Knight expressed her condolences to the family.

Six inmates have suddenly died at Bridgend's HMP Parc since February 27. South Wales Police is treating two of the six deaths between February 27 and March 19 as non-suspicious but believes the other four to be drug-related. Detective Steve Jones said: “At this stage we cannot confirm that the four deaths are connected to any specific drug. However, a fast-track process has been undertaken and identified the presence of nitazene-based substances in connection with all four deaths.

"Spice has been identified in two of the four deaths. Post-mortems have been completed on two of the four men and at this stage cause of death is inconclusive and we are awaiting toxicology. The other two men are awaiting a post-mortem.”

Nitazenes are synthetic opioids that can be up to 300 times stronger than heroin. In December several of them were classified as Class A drugs. They were first detected in the UK in 2021 and, according to Sky News, they have since been found in heroin, cannabis, and most commonly in black market pills sold as the anti-anxiety drug diazepam. Spice, sometimes called the "zombie drug" because it can leave users contorted in unnatural positions for hours, is a Class B substance designed to mimic cannabis.

All six of the inmates who died suddenly at Parc in recent weeks have now been named. They are Cameron Lee Anthony, who died on March 19, Shay Liam Franklyn Andrews, who died on March 18, Justin Lewis, who died on March 16, Christopher Stokes, who died on March 9, and John Rose and Jason Hussey, who both died on February 27. Mr Lewis' death is being treated as non-suspicious.

The prisons ombudsman Adrian Usher said on March 21: “Yesterday we said that we are not making any assumptions as to whether there is a link between these deaths. However, after initial inquiries, we now believe at least four out of the six deaths are drug-related.

"These deaths likely involve spice (a psychoactive substance) mixed with another family of drugs. There has been a national public health warning issued about this particular drug, the name of which is yet to be determined, but we believe that at least two of the deceased at HMP Parc had taken this substance. It is therefore likely the deaths are all spice-related.

"We urge all prisoners who are in possession of spice to dispose of it immediately. This is a dangerous drug and we do not want to see any more unnecessary deaths occur. Friends, family, next of kin, and staff in prison – please share this message as wide and as quickly as possible."

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The ombudsman is investigating 20 deaths at Parc since January 2022 including the six since February 27 this year. Mr Usher said the names of other prisoners to have recently died at the prison will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

On March 21 a 40-year-old man from Birmingham and a 34-year-old woman from Penylan, Cardiff, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and money laundering. Both have been released under investigation. A 34-year-old man, also from Penylan, was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. He is on conditional bail pending further inquiries. It is understood this investigation is not linked to any investigation into deaths at HMP Parc.

Parc, which is run by private security firm G4S, is one of the biggest prisons in the UK. A study in June 2023 found that Parc had 1,734 prisoners – significantly over its certified normal accommodation capacity of 1,559 inmates. And in a 2022 inspection some 49% of surveyed Parc prisoners said it was easy to get hold of illegal drugs there compared with 32% in similar prisons. The inspector also wrote that self-harm levels were "high" among Parc prisoners and that there had been five "near-fatal incidents" in the first six months of 2022.

A G4S spokeswoman said: “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the prisoners who have died recently at Parc. We have a comprehensive drugs strategy and are working tirelessly to reduce supply and demand in the prison. This includes robust security measures, working with the police, and engaging substance misuse service providers and health partners to support those in our care. We welcome the Prison and Probation Ombudsman warning of the dangers of psychoactive drugs.”

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