Wolverhampton inmate disclosed suicidal thoughts before ending his life, hears inquest

An inquest into the death of Paul Coley, aged 44, of Vicarage Road, All Saints, in Wolverhampton, heard he had discussed having suicidal thoughts with Dr Neeta Bhadauria, of Burntwood Medical Centre, who was conducting medical assessments on him, prior to being found hanged in his cell at HMP Hewell prison on December 31, 2013.

However, barrister Una Morris, representing Mr Coley's family, said this information did not go in her notes on his file, which could have alerted prison staff to the possibility that he was a suicide risk.

But Dr Bhadauria said he had expressed similar thoughts in the past and had not followed them through, adding she believed his mood may have been low due to pain he was suffering from a deformed foot.

"He had expressed this for a number of years. He would say he had plans. He would say that his pain was affecting his mind and that he was feeling low and that would link to somebody feeling suicidal," Dr Bhadauria added.

Mr Coley had been remanded in custody at the Worcestershire prison after being accused of pulling out a fake handgun during a theft at a Tesco Express in Upper Gornal.

He allegedly brandished the imitation weapon as he was overpowered by the store's security guard and deputy manager while trying to steal four steaks and 12 chocolate bars in his coat on November 29, 2013 at 8.20pm.

Dudley Magistrates Court remanded him on charges of theft and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear and violence and he arrived at the prison on December 5.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge John Wait ordered the case to be closed after receiving an interim death certificate.

The hearing at Worcestershire Coroner's Court in Stourport also heard from Dr Javid Kayani, an A&E consultant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, who addressed concerns Mr Coley's life could have been saved if there had not been a time delay between the prison officer finding him hanging in his cell and medical treatment being administered.

Dr Kayani said the prison officer's report revealed that after finding him at 8.56pm, he called for help on his radio before running to a nearby office to find another officer, who returned with him to release Mr Coley and begin attempts to resuscitate him using an oxygen mask and CPR.

Ambulance crews arrived on the scene at 9.15pm and were treating Mr Coley at 9.30pm, but he was pronounced dead at 9.56pm.

Dr Kayani said he did not believe he could have been revived because there was no evidence of any reflex action by his body to fight the effects of asphyxiation after he had been released.

The GP said the human body 'auto regulates' itself to continue fighting for life, but he would have had to have been discovered within four minutes of the start of the hanging.

"The fact that the ligature was cut and Mr Coley was not struggling to breathe suggests that the damage was done by then. I feel that on the balance of probabilities the delay did not contribute to the death," Dr Kayani added.

The inquest continues.