Man who died in jail after Rotherham disorder was ‘strange’ after arrest, inquest hears
Peter Lynch died from hanging at HMP Moorland in South Yorkshire on October 19 2024, a jury at Doncaster Coroner’s Court was told on Monday.
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 behaved strangely after he was arrested and refused to talk to police, a custody sergeant 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 was told on Monday.
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.
Giving evidence at the start of a two-week long inquest into Mr Lynch’s death, Sgt Ryan Handley agreed that he had made a note of how Mr Lynch’s presentation had been “strange” in the custody suite at Shepcote Lane Police Station, in Sheffield, also noting that he had been confused.
Sgt Handley said Mr Lynch would not give his surname to officers, and answered every question put to him by saying he was “Peter, living man, son of Michael and Lily”.
The officer said the prisoner also refused all offers of food and drink while he was on duty.
Sgt Handley said that, with hindsight, he should have referred the prisoner to the liaison and diversion team, who deal with mental health issues among detainees.
Asked by Doncaster’s senior coroner, Nicola Mundy, if he spotted any “red flags” in Mr Lynch’s presentation, Sgt Handley said he did not.
The officer was asked by Richard Copnall, representing Mr Lynch’s family, whether it would have been “sensible” to involve the liaison and diversion team.
Sgt Handley said: “With hindsight, yes.”
But the officer did not agree with Mr Copnall that he should have deemed Mr Lynch unfit for interview.
He said: “I’m going to stick with my assessment that he was fit to be interviewed at that time.”
Sgt Handley said Mr Lynch was seen by the healthcare team in relation to the medication he brought with him to the police station, but not in relation to his mental health.
He confirmed that there was no requirement for him to refer to healthcare professionals in deciding whether a prisoner was fit to be interviewed, saying he made that decision 10 to 20 times a day in relation to people in custody.
Earlier, histopathologist Laszlo Karsai told the jury that Mr Lynch died by hanging.
Dr Karsai said the fact that prison officers found his body stiff and cold meant that he had probably been dead for at least two to three hours before it was discovered.
The pathologist said there were traces of medication in Mr Lynch’s body compatible with his known medical history of heart disease and diabetes, but these conditions did not contribute to his death.
The coroner read a statement from another police officer which described how a flag was found in Mr Lynch’s house “that could be be linked to far right ideology”.
The inquest was adjourned and will resume on Tuesday.