A report found prison staff ‘immediately’ attended the 35-year-old after he collapsed
Prison staff “immediately attended” an Irish prisoner who collapsed and later died in a Northern Ireland prison following a football match, a report has found.
Conor Curran died in Maghaberry Prison on December 28, 2022. The Irish national was taken into custody on July 17, 2021, with this being his only time in a custodial setting in Northern Ireland. The 35-year-old had previous custodial periods in the Republic of Ireland.
On the morning of December 28, 2022, Mr Curran took part in a football match with other prisoners. After the game, he collapsed in the gym’s reception area.
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A report into his death found that Physical Education Instruction staff and Healthcare in Prison staff immediately attended to Mr Curran, including undertaking CPR and using a defibrillator.
The NI Ambulance Service and Air Ambulance NI attended, and Mr Curran was transferred to the ambulance, with treatment continuing. Shortly after midday, paramedics pronounced life extinct.
The post-mortem report concluded that death was due to natural causes and was attributed to coronary artery atheroma and thrombosis.
Mr Curran was detained during the coronavirus pandemic, and the process for new committals at that time was to complete a period of 14 days in quarantine in Foyle House Maghaberry Prison prior to being admitted into the wider prison establishment.
The new measures adopted during the reception process, which applied to Mr Curran, were to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff during the pandemic. The report found that Mr Curran faced isolation due to these measures which may have influenced his wellbeing.
He was moved out of the committal house after finishing his quarantine and re-housed among general population, where he stayed throughout his custodial period.
The Prisoner Ombudsman undertook an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Curran’s death, particularly in relation to the response of staff following his collapse.
In his investigation, the Prisoner Ombudsman concluded that Mr Curran received healthcare at least equivalent to that available in the community, considering the sudden and dramatic nature of his death.
Speaking on the publication of the report into Mr Curran’s death, the Prisoner Ombudsman, Darrin Jones, said: “I would like to offer my condolences to Mr Curran’s family on their loss. I would also like to thank the Prison Service staff, Healthcare in Prison, Air Ambulance NI and the NI Ambulance Service for their co-operation in this investigation and report.”
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