AN INQUEST jury has retired to consider its verdict on the death of a Pontypool man charged with murdering his girlfriend.

Daryl Terence Smith, 40, of Belle Vue Terrace, Trevethin, was found dead on October 19, 2009, in his Cardiff Prison cell, where he was on remand for the murder of 23-year-old Bobbie Stokoe, from Bettws, on August 19, 2009.

Miss Stokoe, whose body found on wasteland in Trevethin, died of multiple stab wounds.

The inquest into Smith’s death reopened yesterday after Cardiff coroner Mary Hassell adjourned it on January 13. Ms Hassell said she had concerns over the “veracity” of a DVD, which showed footage of the corridor containing Smith’s cell, from October 18 to October 19, 2009.

The inquest in January heard Smith was taken to Cardiff Prison on August 21, 2009. He was moved to the hospital wing after trying to kill himself on September 4, and was supposed to be checked four times an hour.

CCTV footage showed staff nurse Malcolm Jones checking him just four times between 10pm and 7am.

Mr Jones said he made checks three or four times an hour. Smith was discovered dead in his bed and a pathologist ruled cause of death was tramadol and dihydroco-deine toxicity.

The inquest heard yesterday a copy of the footage seen by the jury and the original were examined by forensic computer analyst Eliar Thomas, who found the two DVDs had the same “digital fingerprint”. Computer equipment belonging to the prison’s custody manager Kenneth Wardle was examined by police photographer Alexander McFetrich, who said there was nothing to indicate the footage was tampered with.

Head of health care at HMP Cardiff, Ros Mullins, said staff are expected to check a patient is not hanging or there are no obvious signs of injury, but admitted the prison policy could be clearer. Proceeding.