Prisoner Ombudsman Publishes Report Into A Death In Custody
Published on December 17 2025
The Prisoner Ombudsman has today published a report relating to the death of Mr Denisas Turkinas, a Lithuanian national who was remanded into custody in Maghaberry Prison on 5 June 2021.
Mr Turkinas was found unresponsive in his cell on 6 June 2021. Despite attempts by the Northern Ireland Prison Service, Healthcare in Prisons staff, and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, Mr Turkinas could not be resuscitated, and his life was pronounced extinct at 17:02. Mr Turkinas was 36 years old. The cause of death recorded at post-mortem was “hanging”.
The Prisoner Ombudsman undertook an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Turkinas’ death, particularly in relation to the care he received and the response when he was found. As part of this investigation, a Clinical Review was carried out by a specialist.
The Clinical Review concluded that the healthcare services provided to Mr Turkinas during his time in custody appeared to have been at least equivalent to what he might have received in a community setting. The review did, however, note the need for accessible and timely access to translation services within the Care and Supervision Unit, to ensure that individual needs, risks, and health concerns can be quickly and appropriately managed.
In his investigation, the Prisoner Ombudsman concluded that he was satisfied that the care provided by Prison Service and Healthcare in Prisons staff was appropriate. The report also notes that Mr Turkinas entered custody with complex health needs and dependencies that should have been quickly identified. However, attempts to identify these were hindered by his behaviour, language difficulties, gaps in processes, and inadequate access to services.
The report makes two recommendations. One relates to the completion of the Northern Ireland Prison Service First Night Questionnaire, which should ensure that relevant staff are fully aware of pertinent information relating to prisoners’ histories. The second recommendation relates to the location of the hot and cold debriefs undertaken by the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
Speaking on the publication of the report into Mr Turkinas’ death, the Prisoner Ombudsman, Darrin Jones, said:
“I offer my condolences to Mr Turkinas’ family on their loss. The recommendations made in this report aim to improve the care and support for all prisoners. I would like to thank the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust for their co-operation throughout this investigation, and I look forward to seeing the recommendations set out in the report implemented.”