Inquest into the Death of Marc Maguire

The inquest into death of Marc Maguire was heard at Manchester Coroner’s Court from Monday 16^th – Wednesday 18^th May 2022, in front of HM Area Coroner Mr Golombeck and a jury.

The inquest heard how Marc sadly died on 9^th June 2019, whilst an inmate at HMP Manchester. Marc was classed as a high-risk prisoner at the time of his death, as he was at risk of suicide and self-harm. He was a known and regular user of Spice, which the inquest heard was prevalent at the time at HMP Manchester.

Marc had self-harmed on 17^th May 2019 and was made subject to an ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Team Work), which is essentially a care plan for at risk prisoners. As part of the ACCT procedure Marc was subject to, he should have had 3 daily interactions from prison staff, as well as 3 nightly observations.

As part of the inquest, HMP Manchester admitted that as part of the ACCT process, at 6.48pm a prison officer checked Marc’s cell. Another officer checked his cell at 6.54pm and saw Marc lying on the floor, with his back to the door of the cell. The prison officer called out Marc’s name several times and kicked the cell door in an attempt to rouse him, however received no response from Marc.

This prison officer was then told by a colleague to ‘leave it.’ Marc’s cell was then checked a further four times, however the court heard that the officer did not enter Marc’s cell and received no response from Marc on of these four occasions.

At 8.02pm, a prison officer contacted the Custodial Manager at the prison to try and obtain some assistance. The prison admitted that they should have attempted to receive a response from Marc whilst each of these checks were being conducted.

When Marc’s cell was finally entered at 8.02pm, officers discovered him slumped on the floor against his bed. Resuscitation attempts were made, however were sadly unsuccessful and Marc was pronounced dead at 8.26pm. The death was concluded to be drug-related.

Alongside HMP Manchester, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust was an Interested Person in the inquest, as they provide the healthcare services within the prison.

Marc’s family was represented by Kelly Darlington and the inquest team at Farleys, alongside Chloe Murray, of Cobden House Chambers.

Farleys’ expert inquests team has experience of representing bereaved families at inquests into the death of their loved ones as they seek answers and justice. To speak to a member of the team, please can 0845 287 0939 or contact us by email.