Jury returns highly critical findings following the death of Kevin Scarlett at HMP Woodhill

[Published 3 March 2014 on Inquest] TW for suicide including method, prison brutality Patricia Scarlett, Mr Scarlett’s mother said: “At points in this process, it has felt that Kevin has become a faceless individual, represented as just another difficult person who could not be helped. Kevin was a very kind hearted person. To us he was a loving and loyal son, brother, uncle and friend. For years he battled with mental illness and had complex mental health needs which were consistently underestimated. Knowing how vulnerable Kevin was, it has been painful for us to hear evidence that he was treated in such a harsh way by those who should have been ensuring his care and protection. He will be deeply missed and remains always in our hearts and thoughts. “I sincerely hope that if nothing else, lessons will be learned. I am grateful to the coroner and to the jury who have clearly given a lot of careful thought to the conclusions they have reached."