ONLY ONE officer was on duty in a Perth Prison hall when an inmate hanged himself, a fatal accident inquiry learned yesterday.

John Brown (32), from Glenrothes, was found dead in his cell on June 2 last year just four days after being remanded. He had hanged himself with bedsheets.

Mr Brown’s cellmates had earlier rung for assistance after he was found slashing at his wrists but, after being threatened by Mr Brown, did not report the matter.

With all but one officer on their lunch break on the day in question, Mr Brown then committed suicide.

The inquiry heard that it took at least four minutes—other prisoners claimed as much as seven—for officers and medical staff to enter the cell.

According to an expert witness, Mr Brown would almost certainly have already been dead by that time.

Thomas Cummings (22) shared a cell with Mr Brown in the days leading up to his death and told the inquiry he had been “fine” until the day he killed himself.

He said Mr Brown returned to the cell that day “angry” that his girlfriend had picked him out from a police line-up. He then received a letter from the woman, he said, which caused him to become upset and start crying.

Mr Cummings said Mr Brown went to the toilet in the cell and, when he did not re-emerge for ten minutes, he went to check on him and found him slashing at his wrists.

Prison officers were summoned using the in-cell buzzer but when one arrived, “10 to 15 minutes later,” they were merely asked for writing paper as Mr Brown had threatened to assault Mr Cummings if he was removed to a “suicide cell.”

Shortly afterwards, Mr Brown returned to the toilet and on the second check by his friends—on the first they found him crying on the floor—he was hanging by bedsheets from bars over the window.

“He already looked dead to me,” Mr Cummings said.

Officers were again summoned and again took up to seven minutes to appear according to Mr Cummings, who was then removed from the cell.

Prison officer Brian Simpson said he had been the only member of staff covering the hall—containing 160 prisoners over four levels—at the time. He said it was normal practice for everyone else to go to lunch at the same time.

When Mr Simpson first attended Mr Brown’s cell, he said Mr Cummings and another cellmate asked for paper but there appeared to be nothing the matter.

He was then called back and told Mr Brown had hanged himself. He said he immediately radioed for help which arrived a minute to 90 seconds later. It had taken up to a minute to use the radio, he added.

He could not enter the cell himself, he said, because regulations state doors cannot be opened without three prison officers per inmate being present.

He said he did not know how many other staff were there when the door was opened and admitted he had no knowledge of how many prisoners should have been in each cell or exactly who should have been where.

The Scottish Prison Service, the Prison Officers’ Association and Mr Brown’s family all have legal representation at the inquiry, which continues today before Sheriff Robert McCreadie.