AN INMATE of Perth Prison said he was “raging” when he heard a fellow prisoner, Dundee man Billy Usher, had committed suicide in the jail, and accused staff of “not doing their jobs properly.”

Darren Ross gave evidence yesterday at Perth Sheriff Court at the fatal accident inquiry into the death of the 24-year-old, from Findale Street, who was found dead in his cell at the prison in June, last year.

Mr Usher had been serving an eight-month sentence imposed at Dundee Sheriff Court for theft.

Mr Ross (27) told the inquiry, which concluded yesterday, that another prisoner had told him that “Billy was going to hang himself,” and asked, “if he should tell the screws (prison officers).”

Mr Ross said he would do so and pressed his cell buzzer.

A prison officer attended at his cell.

“I said to him that the prisoner next door said Billy was going to hang himself,” explained Mr Ross.

The conversation with the prison officer occurred on the Thursday night and Mr Usher committed suicide on the Sunday.

Asked how he felt, Mr Ross said, “I was raging with the staff for not doing their jobs right.

“If that was their kids they would certainly have done a lot more.”

The inquiry had previously heard that Mr Usher was placed on suicide watch after Mr Ross had expressed his concerns.

After seeing his demeanour three prisoner officers agreed Mr Usher should be placed on a programme where he was monitored in his cell.

One of them phoned the social work department and left a message saying that Mr Usher should be seen as soon as possible.

However, Mr Usher was subsequently removed from the suicide watch and was found hanging in his cell on June 24.

Mr Ross was asked if he was satisfied that some action had been taken by officers.

He answered, “No. Because he’s not here today is he?”

The prison officer who spoke to Mr Ross, John Jack, also gave evidence to the inquiry yesterday.

He recalled, “He said, ‘myself and another prisoner are concerned about Billy Usher’. He said he was afraid he would do something stupid.

“He said, ‘you know what it’s been like in here lately’. I took that as a reference to two suicides that had happened that January and April. He said he thought he had family problems on the outside.”

The inquiry had previously heard from Mr Usher’s mother, Margaret McDonald, who said she believed her son may have staged a prison suicide bid in an effort to have his drug treatment reinstated.

She stated Mr Usher could be “over dramatic” at times and that his motive may have been to persuade the authorities to give him medication, rather than a serious suicide attempt.

On one occasion he told her prison officers had found a noose, which he had made under his bed, but he said he was not going to do anything.

Mrs McDonald said she had felt that nothing was seriously wrong when she spoke to her son, or she would have contacted the prison authorities as she had done in the past.

She told the inquiry how she had received, after her son’s death, a letter written in which he spoke of his unhappiness at being in prison and ongoing difficulties with the custody of his children.

He mentioned various dates when people could visit him and Mrs McDonald said there was nothing which gave her serious concern.

Sheriff Fletcher will record his findings in writing.