A convicted sex offender who reported being bullied in prison took his own life in his cell hours after he had blocked the door’s spy hole with a piece of tissue. Alan Bruce McInnes Johnston, 32 and formerly of Tickle Avenue in St Helens, was found unresponsive in his cell at HMP Liverpool on November 27, 2019 and was confirmed dead at 8.30pm by paramedics.
Johnston, who was serving a 21 month sentence for possession of indecent images of children and extreme pornography, had a history of self harm and had previously been on Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures – prison-issued care plans due to being at risk of suicide. At an inquest into his death last week, the ECHO heard Johnston, who claimed prisoners bullied him because of the way he looked, was found dead in his cell next to a handwritten note alleging a prison officer had laughed at him when he rung for assistance.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman today (Friday) released a report into Johnston’s death and highlighted a number of concerns. Last week’s inquest heard Johnston, who was classed as a vulnerable person and was on the prison’s dedicated K Wing, was due for release from prison on December 13, 2019. In the week before his death he had expressed concerns to the Probation Service about moving back to St Helens where he knew people.
During his time in prison he had been involved in a number of incidents of violent conduct and self harm. The inquest heard that, among a number of other procedures, inmates on the ACCT process had an increased amount of observation from prison officers. Johnston had spent 226 out of 317 days inside prison on four separate ACCTs
Senior coroner Andre Rebello said: “This is an indication of how much of a risk he was to himself.” However Johnston was not on an ACCT at the time of his death, with the last process ending on November 7. A Prisons and Probation Service Ombudsman’s report published today revealed a number of incidents not mentioned during the inquest’s opening that listed several altercations between Johnston and other prisoners and members of staff.
The ombudsman’s findings showed that Johnston would often self harm following an altercation, with prison staff noting on one occasion “that Mr Johnston had dealt with the altercation by harming himself, as he had done in the past”. Another particular ACCT case review revealed Johnston “said that he harmed himself because he felt that he was not being listened to”.
He also told staff “that he had been bullied by another prisoner and would continue to harm himself until the bullying stopped”. However, during the inquest’s proceedings last week it was noted on other occasions Johnston was more settled and had a prison job.
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