A MOTHER has paid tribute to her 'special' son after an inquest ruled his death was a suicide.

Garry Beadle was 36-years-old when he was found unconscious in his cell at HMP Durham.

He died in hospital four days later on February 11, 2019.

Mr Beadle was in custody on remand and had only been at the prison for six days.

Karen Beadle, Mr Beadle's mother, said: "As Garry's mum, I truly feel many of us have lost a very special person. A joker, prankster, loved being with his friends and his passion for football never faltered, a talent he excelled in. After all the evidence from the inquest has come to light, it is crystal clear that Garry was overwhelmed, confused, emotional and that more attention should of been paid to the red flags that Garry was waving for help and support. We now know that fundamental errors were made in Garry's short time at HMP Durham.

"We must do more to protect people in these positions, as I do not want any other families to go through what I have and am. I would like to take this opportunity in thanking my legal representatives Tara Mulcair and Stephen Clark for their exemplary professionalism throughout this inquest and for going above beyond throughout this time."

HMP Durham has seen the highest number of self-inflicted deaths of any prison in England and Wales this past year.

Since Mr Beadle's death there have been a further seven self-inflicted deaths, four of whom were also men on remand.

The most recent review of HMP Durham by prison inspectors in 2019 identified insufficient progress on recommendations relating to the management of prisoners at risk of suicide.

Concerns were raised at the inquest that issues in record keeping and information sharing at HMP Durham possibly contributed to his death.

Jasmine Leng, senior caseworker at the Inquest charity said: “All the warning signs were there, but Garry was fundamentally failed by those who owed him a duty of care. Durham prison has seen the highest number of self-inflicted deaths over the past ten years. Yet not enough was done to address the serious issues identified by the Inspectorate, Ombudsman and at previous inquests. Garry died as a result of this failure.

"We simply cannot wait any longer for substantial and sustainable change in prisons. We must look beyond the use of prison and act upon what are clear solutions - tackling sentencing policy, reducing the prison population and redirecting resources to community, health and welfare services.”

Mr Beadle was born in London, raised in Watford, and moved to Newcastle where he lived for 12 years.

He had five children, one of whom tragically died at four weeks old.

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