A FAILURE to follow protocols reduced the chances of stopping a killer taking his own life while he was in prison charged with murdering his girlfriend, an inquest heard yesterday.

A jury at the inquest into the death of Daryl Terence Smith, of Belle Vue Terrace, Trevethin, returned a narrative verdict.

The 40-year-old was found dead in his cell at HMP Cardiff on October 19, 2009, where he was on remand charged with murdering 23- year-old Bobbie Stokoe, from Bettws, Newport, on August 19, 2009.

Smith had admitted to his mother that he had killed Miss Stokoe, who died of multiple stab wounds, the inquest heard.

The jury ruled yesterday that Smith took his own life by taking an overdose of tramadol and dihydrocodeine.

But it also said HMP Cardiff’s failure to follow procedures and protocols “reduced the likelihood of preventing Daryl Smith taking his own life”.

Confirming the jury’s narrative verdict, Cardiff coroner Mary Hassell said the severity of Smith’s charge should have triggered a mental health assessment when he was admitted to the prison on August 21, 2009, but this did not happen.

Smith was not given a mental health assessment until September 23, 2009, by which time he had already made one failed suicide attempt and had been moved to the hospital wing, where staff were supposed to check on him four times an hour, but on the night he died Smith was checked just four times in ten hours despite the senior staff member on duty being aware of the policy.

The jury said there were also inconsistencies in the methods prison staff used to ensure inmates took their medication.

The inquest heard earlier that Smith had been saving some of the medication given to him.

Ms Hassell said Smith had displayed a clear intention to take his own life through letters written before he died, telling fellowprisoners of his intention, and collecting sufficient quantities of drugs to have fatal consequences.

She added: “Failed adherence to policies and protocolsmay not have prevented him (taking his own life), but failure to follow procedures and protocols reduced the likelihood of preventing Daryl Smith taking his own life.”

A spokesman for the National Offender Management Service said it will “consider the inquest findings to see what lessons can be learned in addition to those already learned as a result of the investigation conducted by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman”.

Narrative verdict: mum content

SMITH’S family said yesterday that they were pleased with the narrative verdict returned by the jury.

Glyn Maddocks, solicitor for Smith’s mother, Vivian, said Mrs Smith was pleased the jury had picked up failures including not assessing Smith properly when he was first taken to HMP Cardiff, and a failure to adhere to the prison’s observation policy. Kenneth Wardle, who was working as HMP Cardiff’s safer custody manager at the time of Smith’s death, said the jury had returned a “sound verdict”, but he hoped it would not tarnish HMP Cardiff’s good reputation.

Mr Wardle, who is now retired, had his computer examined after coroner Mary Hassell adjourned the inquest in January because of concerns about the “veracity” of CCTV evidence from the prison.

Experts found there was nothing to suggest the footage had been tampered with.

Mr Wardle said: “It’s a great shame that protocols weren’t followed.

“I hope this does not reflect the thoughts of Cardiff prison within the community.”