A probe has been launched after a female inmate died at a jail which has been plagued by a spate of prisoner deaths.
Sarah Boyle, 35, was found collapsed at HMP Styal, a women’s prison in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Ms Boyle died of self-inflicted wounds at Wythenshawe Hospital on July 20, it has been reported.
An inquest into Ms Boyle’s death is expected to be opened by Cheshire Coroner’s Court.
IT IS ANOTHER DEATH AMONGST OTHERS
Ms Boyle is the latest in a string of deaths at the jail, where there have been at least 11 suicides since 2007, the highest number of any women’s prison in England.
ANOTHER VICTIM
Among them was Annelise Sanderson, a vulnerable 18-year-old from Runcorn, who was found dead in her cell on December 22, 2020.
She had been jailed for 52 weeks in June 2020 after assaulting a paramedic who tried to help her when she tried to set herself on fire at a petrol station.
She is the youngest person to die at the prison in the last two decades, and an inquest into her death found a breakdown in communication between professionals and poor record-keeping over her care.
Former inmates have condemned the prison as ‘hell on earth’ and ‘no place for a vulnerable young woman’, according to an investigation in March by BBC North West.
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WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?
The Prison Service confirmed Ms Boyle’s death and that a probe will be carried out by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO).
A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘Sarah Boyle died on July 20 at Wythenshawe Hospital. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.
‘Our thoughts remain with Ms Boyle’s family and friends.’
