Jeremie Simmons was found hanged in his cell in the segregation unit at HMP Wakefield on May 4, 2022.
In a bid to understand how this happened and improve prison standards across the UK, an ombudsman report has ben prepared and found fundamental issues with the referral process for mental health assessment at the jail.
In 2021, Southampton Crown Court heard how 20-year-old Jeremie Simmons attacked a woman at around 2.15am on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.
Simmons assaulted the woman as she walked along Leigh Road and then dragged her into Leigh Road Park.
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During the incident he made threats to kill and kidnapped her with intent to commit a sexual offence.
Simmons pleaded guilty to these offences and was handed a sentence of 13 years and four months imprisonment that was to be served at HMP Wakefield.
The 21-year-old had a range of mental health issues, dating back to his childhood.
He also had a long history of suicide attempts and self-harm and he was supported by Prison Service suicide and self-harm prevention procedures on at least ten occasions.
Within the report the ombudsman found that: “A combination of poor communication, poor clinical records and the absence of any consideration of Mr Simmons’s mental health history resulted in Mr Simmons receiving no specific, individual mental healthcare support while at Wakefield, beyond basic clinical observations.”
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This was despite Mr Simmons extensive and well-documented history of self-harm and ligaturing while in prison.
The ombudsman continued: “Although the mental health team had information about Mr Simmons’s childhood trauma, which included similar incidents, there is no evidence that they considered this information when contributing to his care.
“We have identified a number of concerns in this report, and we consider it important that staff have the opportunity to learn from our findings.”
