Body in jail cell brings chilling echo of the past

A prisoner was found dead in his cell on the same date his mother committed suicide 15 years earlier, an inquest jury has heard.

Neal Price (26), from Oldham, had a history of cocaine and cannabis use and was diagnosed with suspected schizophrenia. On remand at HMP Forest Bank in Salford, he was found dead in the early hours of March 4, 2014. His mother died on the same date in 1999 when he was 11, the jury was told.

His father Anthony Price told the hearing in Bolton the family have concerns about his care and treatment at Forest Bank. The inquest jury is examining the full circumstances surrounding the case.

Mr Price was arrested in mid-January 2014 and remanded in custody the following day by Oldham magistrates. He was sectioned under the Mental Health Act at the time. Details of his alleged crime were not revealed.

Mr Price said his son had done very well academically and was “very gifted” at school, until he started mixing with the wrong kind of people. He said his mother’s death had a massive impact on his son’s life.

Mr Price visited his son at Forest Bank on February 6 and noted a big deterioration in his mental health.

Mr Price told the jury his son hadn’t been seen by a psychiatrist, and was surprised to find he was in prison rather than hospital.

“I thought he might have been looked after better while he was there. He had even voiced concerns while he was in prison that he might self-harm, but that wasn’t acted upon,” Mr Price said

Consultant psychiatrist at the Royal Oldham Hospital Dr Alistair Stewart said Neal had been arrested during home leave from hospital. The prison’s mental health team had been informed of his health history.
The inquest continues.