The suicide of a murderer who stabbed his wife in the heart as she lay in bed could not have been prevented, a jury concluded.
Paul Jordan, 54, died in his cell at HMP Altcourse, Fazakerley, on July 6, 2018, where he was found hanged.
His death came just weeks after he had been sentenced to life with a minimum of 14 years behind bars for the murder of Elizabeth Jordan, known as Betty, in Bangor, North Wales on July 31, 2017.
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An inquest into Jordan's death opened at Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool last week.
The court heard that planned checks by prison staff, at 5.30am and 7.30am on the day of his death, had not taken place and that counselling sessions had ended.
However the jury concluded it was unlikely any other intervention would have made a difference.
The jury's conclusion stated: "It is extremely likely that [Jordan hanging himself] was done deliberately, with intent to take his own life.
"There is insufficient evidence as to determine whether the missed 5-5.30am check would have found Mr Jordan in a position where urgent medical attention would have changed the outcome.
"With reference to the missed 7.30 check, it is unlikely to have contributed to Mr Jordan’s death.
"As per the evidence presented, in the weeks prior to Mr Jordan’s death there was a visible decline in his mood and appearance, becoming increasingly unkempt and losing weight as stated by witnesses.
"It is likely the way in which Mr. Jordan presented himself would differ depending on his audience. He confided in counsellors and friends, but not in prison staff."
The jury found that Jordan "sought to manipulate" others to get what he wanted, such as coming off 'suicide watch', officially known as Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT).
The jury found: "At the time of Mr Jordan’s death, it is unlikely that it would be obvious to prison staff that he would pose an immediate threat of self harm or suicide.
"This was not evident either to fellow prisoners or family. Due to Mr Jordan’s underlying risk factors and more recent decline, however, it ought to have been.
"Mr Jordan was assessed in line with the ACCT process, however this was insufficiently acted upon due to a failure of communication between different functional departments.
"It would be unlikely in Mr Jordan’s case that remaining on the ACCT closed on 11th June 2018 would have made a difference to the outcome, due to previous self-harm attempts made whilst on an ACCT."
During the inquest, assistant coroner David Lewis heard from witness Stuart Sumnall, a former inmate and friend of Jordan in the months leading up to his death.
Mr Sumnall said Jordan would regularly talk about his daughter, son and wife and "how bad he feels and what it's done to the family".
He was described as growing increasingly depressed and appearing unkempt in the weeks before he killed himself.
During his trial in May, 2018, Caernarfon Crown Court heard Jordan had been "fixated" on the idea his wife was seeing another man, even though there was absolutely no evidence it was true.
Jordan and Betty were separated, although they remained on good terms and even spent a day out at Chester Races together two days before the murder.
On that trip they encountered a man Jordan believed was in a relationship with his wife, which a judge described as likely to have been the "trigger" for his act.
On Monday, July 31, Jordan travelled from his rented flat to Betty's home in Bangor, north Wales, where he selected a kitchen knife and walked upstairs.
The court heard he even greeted his daughter's boyfriend before walking into Betty's bedroom, where she was lying in bed, and stabbing her once in the chest.
He accepted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but pleaded not guilty to murder.
However he was found guilty of murder after a trial.
Speaking at his sentencing hearing, Jordan and Betty's children, Paul and Clare, described their mum as an “amazing parent whose smile could fill a room in an instant".
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