A NORTH-EAST jail criticised for "systematic failings" in a suicide case has come under fresh fire at the inquest into the death of serial killer Harold Shipman.

The prisons ombudsman, Stephen Shaw, said staff at Frankland Prison, near Durham, had made errors when Shipman was transferred to Wakefield Jail by not informing colleagues there that he was at risk.

Mr Shaw told the inquest the former GP's death could not have been predicted or prevented by prison staff, and said that he may have planned suicide weeks before he was found hanging in a cell.

But he said Frankland staff had made errors in not "flagging up" previous suicide threats which were "buried in his records" when he was moved to Wakefield in June 2003.

Wakefield officers have repeatedly said they were unaware he was considered a long-term suicide risk or that he had been the subject of a "self-harm" watch.

As a result, Shipman was never placed under close supervision at Wakefield, where he wrote of his despair in his secret diary and complained he felt bullied by a prison officer.

Mr Shaw's criticism of staff at Frankland comes only a month after a coroner called for a review after the suicide of inmate Paul Day. The 31-year-old - who was promised a place in a witness protection unit but was put into isolation instead - was found hanged in his cell despite being on self-harm watch.

A jury heard he was abused for being an informer within half-an-hour of arriving at the jail, and found a catalogue of mistakes had led to his death.

Mr Shaw said the decision to cut Shipman's privileges in the month before his death was harsh.

Fellow inmates said that Shipman was upset and felt victimised by the decision to reduce the number of visitors and telephone calls he could have.

Shipman's appeal against the decision to remove privileges failed and, although he had his privileges restored shortly before his death, his family's lawyer argued the effect of losing priviliges over Christmas could have pushed him towards suicide.

Mr Shaw said that, the day before his death, Shipman sent five letters to his family - none of which mentioned suicide.

The next morning, he was found hanging from his cell window, a day before his 58th birthday, in what seemed a pre-planned suicide.

Shipman was jailed for life sentence for murdering 15 patients in 2000. A public inquiry later found he had killed about 250 patients.

The inquest continues.