Remand inmates found hanged in cells

TWO TEENAGERS have been found hanged in their cells within three days at Moorlands jail, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, writes Heather Mills.

The two prison suicides - the first of the new year - are the latest tragedy to hit the young offender institution, built at a cost of more than pounds 50m only two and a half years ago and praised for its facilities for inmates and design. Its early months were dogged by rioting by young male inmates.

Last Saturday, Karl Tout, 19, who was awaiting trial on a theft charge, hanged himself from the bars of his cell. On Tuesday, Brandan Tremble, 18, who had been held on remand since November accused of taking a car without consent, also hanged himself.

Their deaths prompted calls from penal reform groups for an independent inquiry into working practices and suicide prevention at Moorlands. Yesterday, Deborah Coles, co-director of Inquest, which monitors deaths in custody, said: 'These tragic deaths highlight the dangerous consequences of locking up young people - in this case two teenagers on remand for relatively minor offences, who could have been effectively managed in the community.'