9 September 2019

Before HM Assistant Coroner for Nottinghamshire Tanyka Rawden
The Council House, Old Market Square, Nottingham NG1 2DT
Opens 10 September 2019 – expected to last 6 days
 
Anthony Solomon was 38 years old when he died on 27 September 2017 at HMP Nottingham. He was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead shortly after. His death was one of five deaths within a one month period in Nottingham prison.

Anthony, a black man from Nottingham, was described by his family as being one of the most loving, caring men you could ever meet and completely devoted to his children. Prior to his death and before becoming unwell he is suspected to have taken a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS). His cell mate sought to alert prison staff by activating the emergency cell bell which went unanswered for almost 40 minutes.

There were seven deaths in HMP Nottingham in 2017 and a further seven deaths since. The prison was inspected in January 2018 and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) took the then unprecedented step to issue an Urgent Notification. HMIP found that the prison was “fundamentally unsafe” for the third time in a row, that there was “irrefutable evidence” of a failure to respond to the previous inspection findings, and that it was “extraordinary” there had not been a more “robust” response to the number of deaths in custody.
 
The family hope the inquest will explore the significant delay in answering the emergency cell bell and prevalence of illegal drugs in the prison at the time of Anthony’s death.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

For further information or to note your interest please contact [email protected]; [email protected] or 020 7263 1111.

The family is represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group members Jo Eggleton of Deighton Pierce Glynn and Nick Armstrong of Matrix Chambers. INQUEST caseworker Natasha Thompson has been working alongside the family following Anthony's death. 

The other Interested Persons represented at the inquest are the Ministry of Justice and Nottinghamshire NHS Trust.

A photo of Anthony is available upon request. 

In January 2018, HMI Prisons issued a ‘Urgent Notification’ on HMP Nottingham. Media release.
 
In May 2018, Prison Inspectors report found ‘tragic and appalling’ levels of self-inflicted deaths and self-harm at Nottingham Prison. Media release.
 
Nottingham Prison has to be subject to a new Independent Review of Progress by HMI Prisons to assess progress made in implementing recommendations from the previous inspection report.
 
Recent inquest conclusions from deaths at HMP Nottingham:

• Andrew Brown, 42, died a self-inflicted death in September 2017. The inquest concluded that a series of failings contributed to his death and the jury noted serious issues with the systems of governance at the prison over a two month period in 2017. His cell bell was not answered for 43 minutes. Media release, June 2019

• Shane Stroughton, 29, died a self-inflicted death on 13 September 2017. The jury at the inquest returned a critical conclusion finding a series of failings contributed to his death. Media release, June 2019.