Prisoner awarded 4.7 million for brain damage
A prisoner has been awarded £4.7 million pounds in compensation claims after he suffered brain damage in a fall.
The 41 year old man suffered catastrophic brain injuries after he fell from an upper bunk bed during a seizure in jail.
The settlement will pay for his 24-hour care, which his doctors say he will always need.
When he was admitted to the prison, to serve a four-month sentence for theft, he had disclosed to the authorities that he was a heroin user, heavy drinker and had been having fits.
When he fell six feet on to a concrete floor during a seizure he went into an epileptic fit that reportedly lasted an hour and three quarters.
His injury lawyers say that an ambulance was called but was delayed because one of the gates got "stuck".
In 2007, Justice Mackay ruled that "delays and deficiencies" on the part of prison staff amounted to professional negligence.
He placed 85 percent of the blame on the Home Office for the prisoner's personal injuries.
Updated on 15/04/2010