Yahoo News Christine was jailed for shoplifting shampoo and cheese - just days later she was found dead
A mum who was jailed for shoplifting shampoo and cheese took her own life just days later after her cries for help were ignored by prison staff, an inquest found.
Christine McDonald was locked up at HMP Styal in Cheshire on March 1, 2019. She was jailed for two offences of shoplifting small value items of shampoo, bubble bath, hair dye and cheese and one offence of failure to comply with a community requirement of a suspended sentence, the Liverpool Echo reports.
The next day, she was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital following concerns raised during a healthcare assessment in the prison. She was sent back to the jail later that day and at around 11pm that evening, two prison officers found Christine with self-inflicted injuries in her cell.
She was aged just 55 when she died the following day on March 3. An inquest at Cheshire Coroners' Court concluded earlier this month that neglect contributed to Christine taking her own life, with a jury finding staff had not followed appropriate healthcare guidelines.
Her daughter Cheri said her mum was 'left alone crying out for help'. She said: "The prison and healthcare staff had a responsibility and duty of care to at the very least ensure she remained alive they did not do this."
A Prison Service spokesperson said the coroner's findings 'would be considered carefully'. The inquest, which ended on May 10, heard how Christine was sent to HMP Styal for a 12-week sentence.
The mum, who had struggled with an opiate addiction, was arrested in Blackpool with another of her daughters, who fell from the third floor suffering serious injuries. Upon her arrival at the prison, her behaviour was described as being anxious, suffering from opiate withdrawal and her concern for her daughter's injuries.
The inquest jury heard evidence that opiate dependency is a serious health issue and rapid detoxification should be avoided, with additional observations needed in place for those withdrawing. Christine suffered from significant withdrawal symptoms displaying a low mood.
The following day, she was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester following concerns raised during a healthcare assessment in the prison. She was subsequently returned to HMP Styal.
The jury heard that records detailing her drug dependency were not read - and information about her daughter's welfare was not passed on. Upon her return to the hospital, the prison should have carried out a clinical assessment and ensured additional overnight observations were in place.
The inquest heard two prison officers found her in her cell at around 11pm. She was found to have a pulse and was taken back to Wythenshawe Hospital.
The inquest jury heard evidence that Christine requested a nurse half an hour before she was found, but prison officers did not carry out her request. She was confirmed as dead the following day, surrounded by her family.
A jury concluded there was a gross failure to provide care and attention to Christine that directly contributed to her death. The jury listed a number of failings including: failings in communications between healthcare and prison staff; failings to follow clinical guidance about the treatment of drug dependency; and messages relating to the well-being of her daughter should have been communicated.
Upon the conclusion of the inquest, her daughter Cheri said: "My mum was left alone crying out for help dismissed and ignored by staff until she could not longer cope and ended her own suffering...The prison and healthcare staff had a responsibility and duty of care to at the very least ensure she remained alive and they did not do this.
"We will never get over the loss of my mum but I speak out in the hope that this doesn't keep happening and if it does other families realise there are ways to identify and expose any failings and stand against this."
Christine, who was a mum of four, was described as 'kind, loving, with a good sense of humour' and someone who 'always put others before herself'. Her family was supported by INQUEST.
Jordan Ferdinand-Sargeant, caseworker at INQUEST, said: "Christine was a vulnerable woman in prison for shoplifting small value items: shampoo, bubble bath, hair dye and cheese. Two days later, she was dead. She needed care and support, not a prison sentence.
"Time and time again we see the dangerous and fatal consequences of sending women to prison, not least those with complex needs like Christine. Deaths at Styal prison are at a record high and two self-inflicted deaths in December yet again raise serious questions about women's health and safety.
"We must urgently dismantle prisons and redirect resources to holistic, gender responsive community services. Only then can we end the deaths of women in prison."
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of Christine McDonald. We are investing £14m to improve safety in women's prisons and strengthening the support provided to those at risk of self-harm and suicide. We will consider the coroner's findings carefully and respond in due course."
