Prisoner Ombudsman Publishes Report Into A Serious Adverse Incident
Published on October 08 2025
The Prisoner Ombudsman has today published a report relating to a Serious Adverse Incident in Maghaberry Prison. The report concerns an attempted hanging which took place on 7th May 2023.
The prisoner was treated on site by NI Prison Service staff, Healthcare in Prison Nurse and by Northern Ireland Ambulance Service emergency response paramedics, before being taken to Craigavon Area Hospital. He survived without serious long-term harm from the incident.
The Office of the Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland was invited by the Northern Ireland Prison Service to investigate this Serious Adverse Incident. The investigation included an Independent Clinical Review, which found the care to be “broadly equivalent to what he could reasonably have expected in the community”, as well as identifying good practice in the response by NI Prison Service and prison health care staff.
There were no recommendations made to the Northern Ireland Prison Service or the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust.
NI Prisoner Ombudsman, Darrin Jones, said “I would like to thank NIPS and Trust staff for the response taken in relation to this incident which resulted in a prisoner’s life being saved.”