Man who died in jail after Rotherham disorder tried to kill himself before, inquest told
Peter Lynch died from hanging at HMP Moorland in South Yorkshire in October 2024
Last updated 21st Jul 2026
A 61-year-old man who was found dead in his cell two months after he was jailed for his part in disorder outside an asylum seeker hotel tried to kill himself in another prison, a fellow inmate has told an inquest.
Peter Lynch died from hanging at HMP Moorland in South Yorkshire on October 19 2024, a jury at Doncaster Coroner’s Court has heard.
The court heard how Mr Lynch was arrested on August 10 2024, in relation to the disorder which broke out in Manvers, Rotherham, earlier that month, and was later sentenced to two years and eight months in jail.
On Tuesday, the inquest into his death heard how, before he was transferred to HMP Moorland, he was sent to HMP Doncaster after his arrest, where he shared a cell with Leonard Tyler.
In a statement read to the jury, Mr Tyler said he felt he “had to look after” Mr Lynch, because it was his first time in custody.
He said: “He was really nice, genuine guy but he was struggling with prison life.
“He feared for his family and what the police would do while he was in prison.”
The inmate described how he returned to the cell one day to find Mr Lynch lying on the floor.
He said that he went to get help but, when he returned, Mr Lynch was standing and said he was “fine.”
But he described how he saw a mark on Mr Lynch’s neck and evidence of a ligature in the cell.
Mr Tyler said he asked his cellmate what he was doing and he said he was “sorry” and “had tried to kill himself”.
He said he did not report this incident or another in which Mr Lynch appeared to take a number of his prescribed tablets, which made him sick.
Mr Tyler said Mr Lynch’s son was in the same prison and was shocked to hear about what happened, saying he would speak to his dad.
He believed Mr Lynch did not want to share a cell with his son because he was planning suicide.
Mr Tyler said: “I don’t think he said anything to the staff on the wing. I don’t think anything would have been done regardless.”
He said mental health referrals took weeks.
Nicola Wraith, who manages health care provision at HMP Doncaster for the Practice Plus Group, said no concerns were raised about Mr Lynch’s mental health during his time at the jail.
Ms Wraith said his induction revealed that he had had a heart attack, had ongoing cardiac issues and was diabetic but “there was no evidence of any previous mental health issues”.
She added: “There was nothing that gave us concern.”
Ms Wraith was asked by Doncaster’s senior coroner, Nicola Mundy, what would have happened if the prison had been aware of the ligature incident claim by Mr Tyler.
She said: “If that information had been referred to the healthcare team, it would have led to an automatic assessment and they would have seen Mr Lynch.”
And, she confirmed that there were no referrals for self-harm incidents while he was at Doncaster.
The witness was also asked about evidence heard earlier this week when a custody sergeant told the jury that Mr Lynch answered every question put to him by officers in the police station after his arrest by saying he was “Peter, living man, son of Michael and Lily”.
Ms Wraith said the prison was not aware of this and agreed that it would have been explored further if staff had known.
She agreed with Richard Copnall, representing Mr Lynch’s family, that prisoners can suffer significant stress when they are sentenced.
She said Mr Lynch would have been asked if he wanted to see a nurse after the sentencing hearing, but she said it was only inmates sentenced to life that automatically saw nursing staff.
Ms Wraith agreed with Mr Copnall that the system should be changed so all prisoners are seen by nursing staff after receiving their sentences.