A prisoner had his sentence extended after creating a video wrongly blaming jail staff for the death of an inmate and posting it online.
The man told investigators probing the death of Paul Jones he “regarded the security department staff at Walton as ‘murderers’”.
An inquiry into Mr Jones’ death has concluded there was no evidence to support his claims.
READ MORE: Thug smashed car window in terrifying road rage attack
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) launched an investigation into Mr Jones’ death after he was found in his cell in September 2018.
The 36-year-old had been in Walton, formally known as HMP Liverpool, for 16 days.
While he was initially considered at risk of self-harm, he was taken off monitoring checks after three days - a move the PPO concluded was “premature”.
It ruled staff could not have foreseen that Mr Jones would take his own life, however.
During its investigation, it emerged a video had been posted on social media by another Walton inmate “claiming that Mr Jones’ death had been caused by staff malpractice”.
In its newly-published report into the death of Mr Jones, the PPO said: “The investigator spoke to the prisoner by telephone.
“He said that he knew Mr Jones through mutual friends.
“He said that about a week before Mr Jones’ death, they had chatted briefly in the education department.
“Mr Jones told him that staff in the security department were targeting him with cell searches and that a young officer had been ‘in his face, pushing him’.
“The prisoner said he had every sympathy for Mr Jones’ family and he put the videos on social media as retaliation for Mr Jones killing himself as he regarded the security department staff as ‘murderers’.”
The allegations were looked into by the PPO, which reported: “The material posted on social media by a prisoner alleged that staff had harassed or bullied Mr Jones and contributed to his death in some way.
“The investigator checked intelligence reports and records. She did not find any evidence that Mr Jones’ cell had been searched by staff, that he had had a confrontation or disagreement with any member of staff, or that any member of staff had given him a warning or placed him on a disciplinary charge.
“The post mortem report did not find any injuries to suggest that Mr Jones had been assaulted before his death or that his death was anything other than an act of self-harm.
“We have not, therefore, been able to find any evidence to support the prisoner’s allegations.”
The PPO added: “The prisoner responsible was traced and asked to remove the postings but refused to do so. Disciplinary action was taken against him under the prison rules and his sentence was extended by six months for possession of an unauthorised mobile phone.”
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
