'Imagine being locked in cell all day, staring at four walls for 22 hours and see if you don't want to get high'

A jailed murderer serving life for stabbing to death a childhood friend hanged himself in prison, a report has revealed. Ricardas Jonusas, 34, was found dead in his cell.

Jonusas, a Lithuanian national who had moved to Bolton, was handed a life sentence in October 2020 for plunging a kitchen knife into Laurimas Ruzanov, 35, another Lithuanian. Jonusas was told he had to serve a minimum 15 years behind bars before he would be eligible for parole.

Now a report has revealed that Jonusas, who had a history of self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse behind bars, had initially been allowed to serve his sentence in his homeland but was later returned to the UK. He was found dead in his cell at the high-security HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent on December 16, 2022, just two years into his sentence.

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A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) Adrian Usher revealed Jonusas was the fifth prisoner to take his own life in 2022 at HMP Swaleside. The watchdog said that 'yet again' he had found the monitoring of suicidal inmates was 'managed poorly' at the jail. Successive reports by HM Inspectorate of Prisons have also criticised staffing at the jail.

"This investigation has again highlighted the detrimental impact that the shortage of staff at Swaleside is having on the men in its care. Mr Jonusas had no key work sessions due to lack of staff and was clearly frustrated by spending most of the day locked in his cell, without purposeful activity.

"I understand that (the prison service) is taking steps to address issues with staff retention and recruitment at Swaleside. In the meantime, the prison needs to ensure that it identifies vulnerable prisoners and prioritises support for those most in need," wrote Mr Usher.

At his sentencing hearing in October 2020 at Bolton Crown Court, it emerged Jonusas caused an 18cm wound when he plunged a kitchen knife into his friend, wrongly believing Ruzanov had slapped his girlfriend during an argument. The pair had known each other for several years and the victim had even supported Jonusas financially to allow him to come to the UK from Lithuania.

Mr Ruzanov’s mother broke down in tears as she watched Jonusas enter the dock. In an emotional victim impact statement read out in court at the time, she said she travelled from Lithuania as she wanted to look into the eyes of the man who murdered her only child.

She said: “I would very much want to look at the murderer of my only child into his eyes for the first and last time. He took away my only son for who I loved, worked hard and raised myself. He tore my heart out. I have felt a great stress which affected my mental health. I do not know how to live on. He ruined my life and took away the life of my only child.”

The court heard Mr Ruzanov’s girlfriend had invited Jonusas to the flat they shared for birthday celebrations on the evening of December 13, 2019. There were several children at the party on Mornington Road but it is not believed any witnessed the incident.

Jonusas claimed Mr Ruzanov insulted him which caused him to run down the stairs into the kitchen and grab a knife. He stabbed him twice in the left side of his chest while Mr Ruzanov’s partner attempted in vain to stop the killing.

After he was sentenced and had spent some months in jails in England, Jonusas was repatriated to serve the remainder of his sentence in his native Lithuania, where his wife and son live, in January 2021. But by August 2021 he was returned to serve his sentence in the UK. "We have not been able to establish the reason for his return to the UK," said the ombudsman.

Jonusas, who had been violent to staff and once bit a guard, self-harmed 'numerous times' at HMP Swaleside, incidents which were 'primarily triggered by alcohol', according to the report.

The inmate 'often refused to engage'. On August 5, 2022, he made deep cuts to his arms using screws taken from the furniture in his cell. He was taken to hospital but was returned to the prison the same day, according to the report. A procedure to monitor suicidal inmates, known as ACCT, was started four days after his return to the prison and managers were 'unable to explain the delay', said the report.

Jonusas revealed he consumed alcohol and drugs because he struggled being locked in a cell on his own for 22 hours a day. When a guard asked him why he took drugs, he was said to have replied: "Imagine being locked in cell all day, staring at same (four) walls, all day for 22 hours a day and see if you don’t want to get high."

On August 29 he made a deep cut to his arm using the lid of a can, saying he wanted to be transferred to prison in Manchester as his family stayed in Manchester and he was 'desperate' to see them

He was moved to another wing which held other Lithuanians and by September 22 ACCT monitoring was stopped as he 'seemed happier and had remained sober', said the report.

It was resumed on October 16 after he told a prison officer he would hang himself the following day. On October 17 he was spotted standing on a chair and trying to attach a ligature to a light fitting.

Jonusas told a case review on October 20 he planned to kill himself and he was placed on 'constant supervision' although this regime was brought to an end the next day as he 'seemed much better', said the report. He was said to have agreed to engage with the prison's drug and alcohol service. He remained on the ACCT regime until October 25.

From November, Jonusas was employed as a painter on the wing, and he 'seemed more settled'. But during a routine check on the evening of December 16, a member of staff noticed the observation panel on Jonusas' cell door had been blocked.

He was founded hanged in his cell and toxicology tests revealed alcohol in his system three times over the limit for driving. An inquest recorded a 'suicide' verdict.

Prison bosses say they have improved management of ACCT at HMP Swaleside including by increasing the number of ACCT co-ordinators and providing upskilling sessions for staff. They say they have also identified prisoners who should be prioritised for key work and say the delivery of key work across the prison has improved.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with Mr Jonusas’ friends and family. This is a concerning report and we have already taken action in line with the Ombudsman’s recommendations including improving processes to better spot and support those at risk of self-harm and suicide.”