An inquest into the death of Michael Clegg, who died in Leeds Prison in 2006, has found there were serious oversights by the prison and that a combination of significant events and processes contributed to the death which was a result of unlawful killing by the man he was sharing a cell with.

According to the jury at the inquest which ended yesterday, they concluded beyond reasonable doubt that Michael Clegg was threatened and intimidated and forced into a ligature with the intention of killing him.

They also said that the fact that Mr Clegg was in the cell with the other prisoner was a significant oversight and led to the bullying and intimidation Mr Clegg experienced and ultimately led to his death.

During the inquest, the jury heard of a number of failures during Mr Clegg’s brief time at the prison, including failure to store risk assessment documents correctly, poor communications, failure to pick up on warning signs, failure to provide training and even illegible handwriting on important documents.

The Clegg family’s solicitor Peter Mahy, a human rights specialist with Howells LLP in Sheffield, said the family was pleased with the verdict of unlawful killing. He said that he was very concerned that the inquest had raised failures by the prison service and that it appeared lessons had not been learned after similar cases in the past.

“There have been a number of similar cases in the past, where prisoners have lost their lives after being forced to share cells with other prisoners who were a serious risk to them. It is of grave concern that it appears that lessons were not learned.

“The Clegg family has been dignified and determined in their quest for a full explanation of what happened to Michael. The jury delivered a very full narrative verdict which highlights over-sights and failings by the prison service. We are very grateful to the jury for considering the case so carefully. The family are pleased with the verdict and the recommendations from the Coroner. One can only hope that this time the prison services sits up, pays attention and take steps to ensure action is taken.”

Speaking on behalf of the family, Michael’s brother Mark said:

'As a family we had two objectives coming into the inquest. We never believed that Michael took his own life and we wanted the inquest to highlight that this did not occur, which it has done. We also wanted to hear Neil Preece Smith admit what he had done in open court, which he did.

The jury have identified numerous and persistent systemic failures which led to Michael being placed in a cell with a very high-risk offender and a highly dangerous man who ultimately, by this verdict, unlawfully killed him.

We would like to thank our barrister, Chris Williams, Peter Mahy, Philippa Matthews and Rachael Davis of Howells Solicitors, Mr Hinchcliffe the Coroner and all the court staff.”