Prison staff missed warning signs before prisoner’s suicide, says watchdog

By Charlotte Lilywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A prisoner took his own life at HMP Wandsworth after staff missed opportunities to support him, a watchdog has found.

Shahrooz Ghassemian, 47, was found unconscious in his cell and pronounced dead in hospital on June 21, 2021.

A prisons and probation ombudsman report found staff ‘underestimated’ Mr Ghassemian’s risk of suicide and ‘missed opportunities’ to support him before he died.

Although he warned staff the outcome of his court hearing could trigger thoughts of suicide, the report said he was not given extra support in the lead-up to his sentencing, or assessed afterwards.

Mr Ghassemian was charged with perverting the course of justice and remanded in custody at HMP Wormwood Scrubs on August 27, 2020. He was transferred to HMP Wandsworth on September 9.

Staff monitored him using suicide and self-harm prevention procedures, known as ACCT, three times at HMP Wandsworth when he showed distress about his mum’s illness and subsequent death.

Mr Ghassemian told staff he wanted to be with his deceased mum and wanted their bodies to be buried in Iran. He said he was waiting for the outcome of his court hearing and that, if he was not released from prison, he would go on hunger strike until he died.

Mr Ghassemian was sentenced via video link to 42 months in prison on May 27, 2021. The ombudsman found staff did not assess his risk of suicide and self-harm after the sentencing.

The report said: “We consider that wing staff should have alerted the staff on duty in the video suite that the hearing was causing Mr Ghassemian significant concerns and that he was likely to be contemplating harming himself if he was not released from prison. His risk should also have been assessed on his return to his wing from the hearing.”

A prison officer found Mr Ghassemian unconscious in his cell on June 21. Paramedics took him to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An inquest in May this year found he died of a drug overdose.

The report found ‘some deficiencies’ in the prison’s management of ACCT procedures, including healthcare staff not being involved in all of Mr Ghassemian’s case reviews and no plans being put in place to address his issues. It raised concerns that he was able to obtain potentially fatal levels of illegal drugs in the prison.

The report added: “We also consider that staff underestimated Mr Ghassemian’s risk of suicide and self-harm. We are concerned that there is no evidence prison staff had any meaningful interaction with Mr Ghassemian after he was sentenced.”

A Prison Service spokesman said: “Our thoughts remain with the friends and family of Shahrooz Ghassemian. HMP Wandsworth has accepted the ombudsman’s recommendations and introduced training for staff so they are able to better identify and support prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm.”

• Whatever you are going through, you don’t have to face it alone. Call Samaritans for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org for more information