Young dad died after taking drugs at Strangeways, inquest hears

An Oldham dad died after taking drugs at Strangeways, an inquest heard.

Patrick “Paddy” Ward was found unresponsive in his cell on the afternoon of August 18, 2020.

The 28-year-old, from Clarksfield , had been jailed three months prior to his death following an incident involving a stolen van.

The father-of-two was known to use drugs during his time in prison.

An inquest into his death, held in front of a jury, began at Manchester Coroner’s Court on Monday (March 7).

It heard how Mr Ward had not long been locked in his cell before he was discovered at around 3.30pm.

Earlier that day he was allowed out to exercise and have a shower.

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Prison officer Thomas McColl was patrolling the Bravo wing when he opened the flap on Mr Ward’s cell door.

He saw him lying on the ground.

The officer shouted for assistance before entering the cell.

Mr McColl checked for signs of life by touching his arm as another officer started doing chest compressions.

A ‘code blue’ was then issued, meaning the control room would immediately phone for an ambulance.

Sadly, Mr Ward could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead.

During the hearing, Mr McColl said Mr Ward was often found under the influence of drugs and was receiving mental health care at the time of his death.

He had a history of self-harming and was known to use ‘spice’.

Officers told the court drugs often entered the prison by being thrown over walls or soaked into legal papers.

Another prison officer, Jordan Richards, told the jury drug taking is a “very big issue” at HMP Manchester.

Mr Richards said Mr Ward was found under the influence of drugs “almost every