Christine was jailed for shoplifting shampoo and cheese - just days later she was found dead

A mum who was jailed for shoplifting shampoo and cheese took her own life just days later after her cries for help were ignored by prison staff, an inquest found.

Christine McDonald was locked up at HMP Styal in Cheshire on March 1, 2019. She was jailed for two offences of shoplifting small value items of shampoo, bubble bath, hair dye and cheese and one offence of failure to comply with a community requirement of a suspended sentence, the Liverpool Echo reports.

The next day, she was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital following concerns raised during a healthcare assessment in the prison. She was sent back to the jail later that day and at around 11pm that evening, two prison officers found Christine with self-inflicted injuries in her cell.

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She was aged just 55 when she died the following day on March 3. An inquest at Cheshire Coroners' Court concluded earlier this month that neglect contributed to Christine taking her own life, with a jury finding staff had not followed appropriate healthcare guidelines.

Her daughter Cheri said her mum was 'left alone crying out for help'. She said: "The prison and healthcare staff had a responsibility and duty of care to at the very least ensure she remained alive they did not do this."

A Prison Service spokesperson said the coroner's findings 'would be considered carefully'. The inquest, which ended on May 10, heard how Christine was sent to HMP Styal for a 12-week sentence.

The mum, who had struggled with an opiate addiction, was arrested in Blackpool with another of her daughters, who fell from the third floor suffering serious injuries. Upon her arrival