Prison Suicide: Failures Exposed

0:00On April 28, a 38-year-old former metropolitan police officer named Ricky Poon died by suicide in his cell at H&P Pentenville, a North. London Prison. Despite being on suicide watch, he took his life exactly one month after remand on February 13, 2025. A coroner's inquest wrapped up on March 26, blasting serious failures in the prison's self-harm prevention system. Poon had been dismissed from the force in 2024 while on bail for alleged sexual offenses. He'd already made a serious suicide attempt on January 19, that year, landing him in custody. The jail's assessment care and custody and teamwork process meant to protect at-risk inmates fell short big time. The jury at the inquest pointed to a lack of accountability among staff, sloppy record-keeping, and inconsistent checks during his observation period. Families and advocates are furious, highlighting how these gaps put vulnerable people in real danger behind bars. Coroner Mary Hassel zeroed in on

1:01a nurse from Practice Plus Group, who showed up after the alarm and kept doing chest compressions even after knowing he was gone. She called it unprofessional and undignified, warning it could mess up real recessations down the line. This echoes her past alerts to the prison and provider, the latest from six years back. Pentenville Governor's now face a prevention of future deaths report, due a response by June 1, 2026, marking the fourth such warning. This year, after another inmate suicide. Time for real changes to keep this from repeating.