Chris Williams Represents the Family of a Remand Prisoner Who Was Unlawfully Killed

A Leeds Inquest Jury found that a remand prisoner had been unlawfully killed.The inquest into the death, in 2006, of Michael Clegg lasted 5 weeks. The jury’s verdict was highly critical of cell sharing risk assessments at HMP Leeds identifying some 30 systemic failures.

The deceased's cellmate Neil Preece-Smith, who was already serving a life sentence, had pleaded guilty to Assisted Suicide in 2007 and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. The jury's verdict, on the 18th February 2010, rejected the possibility of Assisted Suicide and found that Michael had been sexually assaulted and murdered. The circumstances of the death were made more shocking by the revelation that another prisoner, Shahid Aziz, was also killed by his cellmate on the very same wing in 2004. Following this event the prison had failed to implement recommendations, made by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman in 2005, on cell sharing risk assessments which could have prevented Michael's death.

Solicitors for Michael Clegg's Children: Philippa Matthews, Howells LLP Sheffield.
Counsel: Chris Williams, Tooks Chambers, London

[Image] News