Cell of tragic prisoner who 'couldn't breathe' had no fresh air, family claims

The family of a 63-year-old man with a progressive lung disease who was found dead in his prison cell claim there was no fresh air. They told a coroner two air vents had been painted over and were completely blocked, with the only air coming into the cell through the gap under the door.

Raymond Lucy, a retired HGV driver from Chadderton, Oldham, was found collapsed by his cellmate who 'knew he was dead' at HMP Forest Bank in Salford on July 11, 2019, an inquest examining the circumstances heard on Monday (October 2).

His partner, ex-wife Margaret, told the inquest Mr Lucy had tried to poke through tiny blocked-up holes in an air vent under his cell window using a small piece of wire - and on one occasion, when he asked to be moved to a cell for inmates with disabilities, was told by a guard: "Well you are not in a wheelchair, are you?"

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In a statement, she said: "He told me that he was frightened that he could not breathe - and thought he was going to die."

Giving evidence, Mr Lucy's family said they had concerns about the healthcare afforded to him at the category B prison in Pendlebury. A smoker, he had been diagnosed with 'moderate' chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and used a nebuliser to help him breathe.

The inquest heard Mr Lucy had no real respiratory issues or cough prior to him going into Forest Bank, but in 2016 had been diagnosed with 'mild' COPD and put on a 'self-management plan' of antibiotics and steroids.

Mr Lucy, who was a heavy drinker, received an inhaler and an 'emergency pack' of the drugs after his diagnosis, which was then