THE family of a paranoid schizophrenic who killed himself in his prison cell have welcomed the promise of a review into the tragedy by a senior Government minister.
Vince Morgan, 29, who had a mental age of between eight and ten, was found hanged in his cell, on his mother's birthday, at HMP Northallerton, in North Yorkshire, where he was serving 18 months for assaulting his father.
His parents, Trevor and Sharon Morgan, who shared their home in west Hull with Vince, say their son should have been treated as a patient in a secure hospital, rather than a criminal in a prison.
Last week, during a specially tabled House of Commons debate, prisons minister Andrew Selous promised to meet with Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson, "as soon as possible" to discuss the case.
Trevor said: "If I had known Vince would be sent to prison, I would never have called the police.
"We thought, by calling the police, we would get the help Vince needed.
"We feel, as a family, that Vince was let down and we want answers.
"Vince should have been treated in a secure unit, not prison. It was the wrong place for him."
A week-long inquest into his death, held last December in Northallerton, ended with a jury returning a verdict of misadventure and the conclusion that problems surrounding Mr Morgan's behaviour were treated as a "discipline issue, rather than medical".
Coroner Michael Oakley said he planned to write to the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Health with a series of recommendations.
In particular, Mr Oakley said governors and healthcare providers in prisons should review mental health policies and how information is streamed between staff members.
Trevor said: "We know prisons are over-run, but we are concerned this will happen again if lessons are not learned from our family's tragedy.
"I am concerned for other families of people in our prisons with mental health problems."
Mr Johnson has been supporting the family in their quest for answers to questions regarding Vince's care prior to his death on December 28, 2012.
He said: "The case of Vince Morgan is a tragic example of the appalling way mental health is treated as a poor relation not just of the NHS, as many say, but of every other public agency.
"The mental health professionals sit round a table with the Probation Service and others and their views are discarded – they are overruled."
Mr Johnson dismissed claims by officials that Vince was informed about a decision to transfer him from Hull Prison – almost 100 miles away – weeks before the transfer took place.
He said: "I now have absolute proof, from a letter sent to this mentally ill young man back in October, that he was told in his prison cell."
Mr Morgan's parents, who were also his registered carers, first heard about the move from their distressed son once it had already taken place.
The Commons heard how Mr Morgan sustained brain damage after being involved in a serious road accident as a child.
Trevor said: "We are deeply saddened that it has had to get this far.
"No words can express how angry and let down we feel."
'Lack of communication'Vince Morgan was initially sent to HMP Hull after he was sentenced to 18 months for assaulting his father, Trevor.
In the days leading up to Vince's death, there was a lack of communication from healthcare workers to prison staff, the inquest heard.
On December 26, two days prior to his death at HMP Northallerton, a meeting was held to discuss Vince's case and he was moved to a single cell. However, no reference was made to a relapse and risk management report that had been compiled at HMP Hull before his transfer.
This report contained "key information" that a decline in personal hygiene, such as that happening to Vince, was indicative of a decline in mental health.
