Prison takes action over death of man jailed over house fire
A prison has taken action after it was criticised over the death of a man who was jailed for setting fire to his ex-partner's home while she and her six-year-old daughter were inside.
Daniel Watkins was found hanged at HMP Birmingham last December.
The 35-year-old was sentenced to 10 years behind bars last year after setting fire to the house in Cradley.
At his inquest last week, coroner Louise Hunt insisted 'lessons have to be learned' after it was claimed Mr Watkins had threatened to take his own life after receiving the lengthy sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
He had served just a month of his sentence when he was found dead at the prison, which is run by G4S. A verdict of suicide was recorded at the inquest.
Andy Sleight, deputy director at HMP Birmingham, said guidance for staff around mental health had been updated in light of the coroner's remarks.
He said: “Every month we receive 500 new prisoners to HMP Birmingham and sadly many of those men come to us with complex mental health needs.
"We work closely with the prison's mental health provider, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust and other local agencies to ensure that they receive the right support.
“Since the Coroner’s verdict in this case we have provided updated guidance for staff on the risk factors and potential triggers of a mental health crisis.
"We await the detailed recommendations from the coroner and we will give them careful consideration to ensure that we have acted on all the lessons learned at this inquest.
"Every self-inflicted death is one too many and Mr Watkins’s family and friends remain in our thoughts at this most difficult time.”
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the 26-year-old mother rescued her daughter, after waking to find former boyfriend Watkins in her home telling her: “I’m going to set this alight and you’re going to burn in hell for what you did to me.”
The victim described how her living room and hallway then burst into flames as a result of petrol Watkins had poured around her house on Chapel House Lane in the early hours of June 3.
Watkins, of Smiths Close, Alcester, Warwickshire, pleaded guilty to two counts of arson with intent to endanger life, and was handed a 10 year sentence, along with an additional four years to be served on licence.
