HMP Birmingham inmate 'took own life with insulin pen'

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The New Jerusalem Apostolic Church in AstonImage source, PA
Image caption,
John Delahaye was accused of launching a knife attack inside the New Jerusalem Apostolic Church in Aston

A man on remand for a triple stabbing in a church should not have been given an insulin pen that he used to take his life, an inquest jury has concluded.

John Delahaye, 46, was at HMP Birmingham after a church elder and two other men were hurt at the New Jerusalem Apostolic Church last year.

Mr Delahaye, a diabetic who had overdosed on insulin before, died on 5 March, a week before his trial.

A jury at Birmingham Coroner's Court concluded his death was a suicide.

He had been assessed by the prison's healthcare team earlier in the year and cleared to be given a pen, despite taking an insulin overdose in the jail on New Year's Eve, the jury were told.

Image caption,
Mr Delahaye was pronounced dead at HMP Birmingham in March

He was placed on suicide watch before being cleared by a GP to be given a pen on 29 January.

This was in due in part, the jury was told, because prison staffing levels meant it was difficult for him to get access to his medication when he needed it.

Mr Delahaye, described by his family as fun-loving but prone to bouts of paranoia, was last issued with one two days before his death. He had potentially taken four or five times the required amount.

He was assessed at the jail in January under a system used to monitor inmates who have self-harmed or are a suicide risk, but was subsequently discharged and not reviewed again.

The jury concluded that was not appropriate and it possibly caused or contributed to his death.

It was also not appropriate for Mr Delahaye to have the insulin in his possession and it likely caused or contributed to his death, jurors found.

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