A prisoner jailed for violent disorder at a Black Lives Matter protest died on the floor of his cell in a North East prison only days into his sentence, a new report has detailed. 

Colin Green was the leader of the Hells Angels Tyne and Wear chapter when he was part of a mob inciting violence at a Black Lives Matter protest in Newcastle in June 2020. 

He was sentenced in May 2022, after Newcastle Crown Court heard how he had been part of a group of counter-demonstraters who had thrown bottles and smoke grenades, injuring the public, police officers, horses, and dogs. Though Green did not throw things during the violent clashes, he was described as an "influential figure".  

But a new report has detailed that he died on his prison floor from heart failure only days after he started his two-year and five-month sentence at HMP Northumberland. 

The Northern Echo: HMP Northumberland

Green had long-term issues with his blood pressure, which had been noted by prison healthcare staff, and was prescribed hypertension medication to treat his malady. 

Though Green's blood pressure was within normal range when he entered HMP Northumberland, within a week, healthcare assistants noted that it was high.

The night before Green's death, - May 23, 2022 - staff noted no concerns about him.

But at 9am the next morning, an officer found him unresponsive and not breathing on his cell floor. 

A code blue (a medical emergency where a prisoner is unconscious or having breathing difficulties) was called and within five minutes, three members of staff were performing CPR. 

An ambulance was called, and a defibrillator was used on Green. Paramedics arrived at the hospital at 9.25 am, assisting prison staff with CPR.

By 9.49, healthcare staff and paramedics agreed that CPR should be stopped, and Mr Green was pronounced dead.

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A post-mortem examination found that Mr Green died from heart disease, and a reviewer of Green's care from the Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) found that the care he received in prison was equivalent to the care he would have received if he had been living in the community. 

An inquest into his death, which concluded on November 6, 2023, found that he had died of natural causes. 

HMP Northumberland is a Category C prison, with the capacity to hold approximately 1300 adult men. The prison is located near Morpeth and is operated by Sodexo Justice Services under contract from the Ministry of Justice. Healthcare services are provided by Spectrum Community Health.