In a tragic turn of events, a convicted child rapist, Brian Jordan, was discovered dead in his prison cell, having taken his own life out of fear of potential attacks from other inmates who had learned about his heinous crimes. Jordan, 60, had been serving a sentence of seven years and seven months at HMP Durham for offenses including rape and indecent assault against one girl and unlawful sexual intercourse with another. His suicide occurred shortly after he became aware of the widespread publicity surrounding his conviction, causing him significant distress and apprehension of violence from fellow prisoners.
An investigation by the Prisons and Probations Ombudsman (PPO) determined that prison staff could not have predicted Jordan’s suicide. Despite being placed in a shared cell in the Vulnerable Prisoners (VP) section, Jordan showed no signs of suicidal tendencies in the days leading up to his death. However, on the day of the incident, he made a distressing phone call to his family expressing his fear of being targeted by other inmates. Subsequently, he was found hanging in his cell by an officer, and despite immediate medical intervention, he could not be revived.
The post-mortem report confirmed that Jordan’s cause of death was asphyxiation due to hanging. Toxicology tests indicated the presence of cannabis in his system, but it was deemed unlikely to have influenced his actions at the time. The PPO report commended the swift emergency response, and a subsequent jury inquest officially ruled Jordan’s death as a suicide.