Man with mental health concerns died three days after arriving at Chelmsford Prison
A man who was given mental health support during his arrest by Essex Police took his own life in his cell just three days after being remanded to Chelmsford Prison. Frederick Munro’s death on October 6 at Chelmsford Prison comes amidst heightened scrutiny of inmate welfare at the jail.
The prison has been heavily criticised for its failure to monitor prisoners in the prevention of suicide and self-harm. Mr Munro had been charged and remanded into custody on suspicion of GBH, ABH and assault after eight people were attacked in Southend during an "extremely unpleasant" incident on October 1. Police had also called mental health services to support the 40-year-old.
Detective Inspector Steve Franklin of Southend CID said at the time: “This incident will have been extremely unpleasant to have been involved in and witnessed, and we thank the numerous members of the public who alerted us to it. Thankfully, we were able to get a significant number of officers to the scene extremely quickly and a man was arrested. While we’re clearly progressing a criminal investigation, we are also remaining in very close liaison with mental health services. At this stage, we’re satisfied any threat posed yesterday has been dealt with.”
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Mr Munro appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court on October 3 and was remanded into custody to appear at Basildon Crown Court on October 31. He was found dead in his cell on October 6. A preliminary coroner's report said: "This 40-year-old male was found unresponsive in his cell. Paramedics attended and sadly confirmed death on October 6 at 11.18pm. Police attended and stated no suspicious circumstances. A forensic post-mortem [examination] was conducted by Dr Swift, who gave the provisional cause of death as 1a. Hanging."
A Prison Service spokesperson said it will consider the coroner’s findings once the inquest has concluded. He said: “Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of Frederick Munro. As with all deaths in custody, the Prison and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”
They added that the most recent HM Inspectorate of Prisons report issued at the beginning of 2024 into HMP Chelmsford noted significant progress since the Urgent Notification was issued in 2021, including through a focus on improving safety processes. However, since then, the ombudsman has formally criticised the prison for its failure to reduce the risk of suicide.
Mohammed Eumda - another vulnerable man with a history of mental issues took his own life in the prison on January 30, 2023, just nine days after arriving at Chelmsford Prison after being remanded into custody.
A statement from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman said at the time: “While I am aware that Chelmsford has taken steps to improve the quality of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, this case demonstrates that poor decision making and failure to follow basic procedures persists. Senior managers need to review whether the measures introduced are leading to sustained improvements.”