Prisoner Ombudsman Publishes Report Into A Death In Custody
Published on February 13 2026
The Prisoner Ombudsman has today published a report into the death of Mr Christopher Mouland, who died aged 33 on 6 July 2022 in Maghaberry Prison.
Mr Mouland was committed to Maghaberry Prison on 3 June 2022. Mr Mouland had a history of addiction and reported mild withdrawal symptoms upon committal. He also suffered from depression and anxiety. During his time in Maghaberry, he was seen by the Healthcare in Prison team and was assessed for risk of self-harm and suicide. Mr Mouland went through a number of Supporting People at Risk Evolution (SPAR EVO) assessments, including one following an incident on 5 July 2022, which was closed on the morning of 6 July 2022 following positive interactions and Mr Mouland having no current thoughts of harming himself.
On the afternoon of 6 July 2022, Mr Mouland declined to attend time in the exercise yard. When prisoner officers were returning his cellmate to the cell, Mr Mouland was found unconscious in the cell. The alarm was immediately raised and Prison Officers began CPR. Nurses from Healthcare in Prison attended, as well as both Air Ambulance and NI Ambulance Service staff. At 17:01 paramedics declared Mr Mouland deceased. The cause of Mr Mouland’s death, as stated in the post-mortem report, was ‘hanging’.
As part of his investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Mouland’s death, the Prisoner Ombudsman engaged a Clinical Reviewer to assess the level of care provided to Mr Mouland. They found that Mr Mouland’s engagement with different healthcare services during his periods in custody was at least equivalent to the access to and provision of healthcare he would have expected within the community. In their report, the Clinical Reviewer did outline an area for improvement for the South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust in relation to documentation of incidents within the SPAR EVO process, and the Trust has implemented new procedures.
The Prisoner Ombudsman’s investigation findings show there were no relevant failings by NI Prison Service or Health Trust staff. The report makes one recommendation for the NI Prison Service in relation to record-keeping, which has been accepted by the NI Prison Service.
Speaking on the publication of the report into Mr Mouland’s death, the Prisoner Ombudsman, Darrin Jones, said:
“The publication of this report will be difficult for Mr Mouland’s family, who raised a number of important questions during my investigation, which I have addressed within the report. While my findings show no failings by the prison and healthcare staff, it does identify ways of improving reporting and documentation of incidents, which will be of benefit in the future. I would like to thank the NI Prison Service, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust, NI Ambulance Service and Air Ambulance for their cooperation throughout this investigation.”