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Anger over suicide payment
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| Tragedy: Robert Longworth, who hanged himself in Moorland Prison, Doncaster, at the age of 19 |
A MOTHER whose son killed himself in jail has spoken of her anger at a huge compensation pay-out to a suicidal prisoner.
Kath Wright, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, said if the £575,000 out-of-court settlement had instead been used to train specialist counsellors for vulnerable prisoners, her son might still be alive.
An unnamed prisoner was given the compensation after a suicide attempt at Northallerton Young Offenders' Institution. He was saved by prison officers.
It is believed that his claim centred on an alleged breach of human rights.
Ms Wright's son, 19-yearold Robert Longworth, hanged himself in his cell at Moorland Prison, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on October 6, 2002, only two days after being transferred there from Hull Prison.
He was serving a threeand-a-half-year sentence for theft and burglary.
The Prison Service offered to pay for his funeral, which cost about £2,000.
Ms Wright said: "It didn't even enter my head to claim compensation when Robert died.
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| Payment anger: Kath Wright with a picture of her son Robert, who hanged himself in prison |
"I was just grateful for them paying for the funeral.
"I have spent four years battling depression because of this and it is not just me - what about all the other families who have lost children in this way?
"To me, it is giving everybody carte blanche to walk into a prison, cry whatever and then get away with a load of money. It is all wrong."
The Prison Service has repeatedly refused to give details of the incident that resulted in the £575,000 payment, leading to claims of a cover-up by Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis.
The Northern Echo has submitted a request for the Prison Service to release the full details of the compensation payout under the Freedom of Information Act.
Ms Wright said: "I remember in one of the last letters I got off Robert, he was saying how sorry he was and how he was going to go straight.
"He was going to resit his GCSEs as soon as he got out and he seemed really optimistic.
"He was a very vulnerable young lad and he always took up with the wrong people, that was his problem.
"That money would be better used being given to the Prison Service to train counsellors to spot vulnerable prisoners and help them.
"If it had been, Robert might still be alive today."
5:42pm Tuesday 16th January 2007
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