These are external links and will open in a new window

An inmate has been killed in a fire at a prison, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.

The prison service said Kevin Delahunty, 40, died in a blaze at category C HMP Risley, in Warrington, Cheshire on Thursday.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman confirmed it had opened an investigation into the incident.

According to the Telegraph & Argus, Delahunty is from Bradford, West Yorkshire, and died in a cell fire.

"As with all deaths in custody, there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

"Our sincere condolences are with Mr Delahunty's family and friends at this difficult time."

An inspection report in 2016 identified a number of failures at HMP Risley which holds more than 1,100 prisoners.

A fifth of prisoners felt unsafe, it said, and "it was not a sufficiently respectful prison". </s> This is the prisoner who died after a cell fire at HMP Risley.

Kevin Delahunty, who was serving a five year sentence for burglary, was rushed to hospital after a fire broke out in his cell at the Category C jail in Warrington on Sunday, March 25.

The 40-year-old was initially taken to Whiston Hospital - which has a specialist burns unit - for treatment but died on Thursday, March 29. Police are not treating the blaze as malicious.

Today, the ECHO can reveal his picture after one of Delahunty’s friends asked us to report on his death.

Confirming the death, a Prison Service spokesperson said: “HMP Risley prisoner Kevin Delahunty (DOB: 14/03/1978) died on Thursday 29 March 2018.

“As with all deaths in custody, there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

“Our sincere condolences are with Mr Delahunty’s family and friends at this difficult time.”

A court report from April 2016 revealed how the drug addict stole family heirlooms from a Bradford school teacher - which his defence solicitor said was due to his battle with addiction and his mental health problems.

He pleaded guilty to a burglary on March 10, 2016 - admitting he took two jewellery boxes, power tools, and ‘high value electrical items’.

Among the stolen goods was a gold ring given to the victim by her mother for her 21st birthday, and a silver brooch bought by her grandparents when she was a child.

Delahunty also made off with two television sets, a gold bangle, necklaces and earrings.

The solicitor advocate for Delahunty, Kam Dhesi, said his long standing addiction to Class A drugs was behind his offending.

The prison service will now be independently investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. </s> The video will start in 8 Cancel

Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email

A prisoner serving a sentence for burglary died in a horrific fire in his jail cell.

Kevin Delahunty, who was serving a five-year sentence, was rushed to hospital after a fire broke out in his cell at HMP Risley, Warrington.

The 40-year-old was taken to the specialist burns unit at Whiston Hospital, in Rainhill, for treatment after the incident on Sunday, March 25, the Liverpool Echo reports .

He died on Thursday, March 29. Police are not treating the blaze as malicious.

Confirming the death, a Prison Service spokesperson said: “HMP Risley prisoner Kevin Delahunty (DOB: 14/03/1978) died on Thursday 29 March 2018.

“As with all deaths in custody, there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

“Our sincere condolences are with Mr Delahunty’s family and friends at this difficult time.”

A court report from April 2016 revealed how the drug addict stole family heirlooms from a Bradford school teacher - which his defence solicitor said was due to his battle with addiction and his mental health problems.

He pleaded guilty to a burglary on March 10, 2016 - admitting he took two jewellery boxes, power tools, and ‘high value electrical items’.

Among the stolen goods was a gold ring given to the victim by her mother for her 21st birthday, and a silver brooch bought by her grandparents when she was a child.

Delahunty also made off with two television sets, a gold bangle, necklaces and earrings.

The solicitor advocate for Delahunty, Kam Dhesi, said his long standing addiction to Class A drugs was behind his offending.

The prison service will now be independently investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Got a story or an issue you want us to investigate? Want to tell us about something going on where you live? Let us know - in complete confidence - by emailing newsdesk@men-news.co.uk, calling us on 0161 211 2323, tweeting us @MENnewsdesk or messaging us on our Facebook page . You can also send us a story tip using the form here . </s> As with all deaths in custody, there will be an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

The police are investigating this matter, so it would be inappropriate to comment further. </s> POLICE have been called to a prison in Bedford following reports of a riot.

Emergency services were called to the prison in the town centre at around 5pm.

A police spokeswoman said: "Bedfordshire Police is currently assisting HMP Bedford following reports of unrest within the prison.

"We were called shortly before 5pm and have a number of officers at the scene working with prison staff to resolve the issue."

It was reported that prisoners started a riot and have taken over parts of the category B prison.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "Specially trained staff are working with the emergency services to resolve an ongoing incident involving a number of prisoners at HMP Bedford.
• Sudden death of Alexandria man in jail was "unavoidable", inquiry is told

"We are absolutely clear that prisoners who behave in this way will be punished and could spend significantly longer behind bars."

Ambulance and fire services are also on standby outside the prison.

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "We are at the scene on standby at this stage. It's an on-going incident. We are not in the prison."

HMP Bedford, which has been on its current site since 1801, currently holds around 500 inmates, according to a HM Inspectorate of Prisons report in September.

The watchdog's report found inmates claimed it was easier to get drugs than clothes or bedsheets at a prison where standards have deteriorated to "unacceptable levels".

A survey found the number of prisoners saying it was easy or very easy to get drugs had almost doubled since the last inspection of the jail in February 2014.
• Anger as teenager accused of double rape tells prison officers he wants to live as a woman

The number saying they had developed a drug problem while at the prison increased from 4% to 14%.

The HMP inspection in May also found that the physical condition of the prison was poor, with many inmates living in cramped conditions. The report detailed damaged furniture, graffiti, shortages of clothing and dirty, unscreened showers.

The report also said: "Arrangements for managing violent and bullying behaviour and supporting victims were weak."

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon said on Twitter: "More troubling news concerning our prisons. The Justice Secretary needs to do more urgently to tackle crisis." </s> A riot has broken out among prisoners at Bedford jail over tensions sparked by staff shortages.



Bedfordshire fire service was called to the category B prison at 5pm on Sunday afternoon following reports of a disturbance, and a fire truck remained on standby at the scene.



Bedfordshire police confirmed that they had been alerted to the situation, but would not say if riot police were dealing with the incident.



According to reports, prisoners have been frustrated over long periods of lockdown caused by chronic understaffing.



The violence broke out in the afternoon, with prisoners reportedly grabbing batons from the guards and lighting small fires.



It is believed prisoners were also ripping up toilets in a bid to flood the building as guards fled the scene. 



Sources told the Press Association the riot had spread to more than one wing of the prison.

The Ministry of Justice said it had no reports of any prison officers being injured in the disturbance.

An MoJ spokesman said: “Specialist staff are on site trying to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible. This is very much an ongoing incident.”

There were also reports of loud bangs or explosions coming from inside the prison.

A prison service spokesperson said: “Specially trained prison staff are working with the emergency services to resolve an ongoing incident involving a number of prisoners at HMP Bedford.

“We are absolutely clear that prisoners who behave in this way will be punished and could spend significantly longer behind bars.” </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police used tear gas to disperse crowds desperate for news of loved ones

Relatives of 68 people who died when a fire broke out at a police station in the Venezuelan city of Valencia have demanded answers as to what happened.

The blaze reportedly started after prisoners set fire to mattresses in an attempt to break out on Wednesday.

The United Nations has called on the Venezuelan authorities to carry out a speedy investigation and to provide reparations to victims' families.

The fire is one of the deadliest incidents in Venezuela's prisons.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement that "where applicable" those responsible should be brought to justice.

On Wednesday, anguished relatives had gathered in front of the police station demanding information about their loved ones.

They were dispersed by police firing tear gas.

Chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab said 66 men and two women, who had been visiting the cells overnight, were killed in the blaze. He also said that an investigation would be launched "immediately".

Venezuela's worst prison tragedies:

August 2017: A riot in police holding cells leaves 37 dead in Amazonas state

March 2017: 14 bodies are found in a mass grave in a jail in Guarico state

September 2015: A blaze in a prison in Tocuyito prison kills 17

January 2013: More than 60 inmates are killed in a prison riot in Barquisimeto

What happened at the police station?

The circumstances surrounding the fire have not been officially confirmed.

The association Una Ventana a la Libertad (A Window on Freedom), which monitors jail conditions, said its reports showed a police officer had been shot in the leg by a detainee and that shortly afterwards mattresses in cells were set ablaze and the fire quickly spread.

Mr Santander did confirm one police officer had been shot.

Rescuers reportedly broke through walls to try to free those trapped by the blaze.

Nearly all of those who died were inmates but at least two women who were visiting at the time were also killed, Mr Saab said.

Some of the victims burned to death, others died of smoke inhalation.

What has the response been?

Angry relatives gathered outside the detention centre and clashed with police as they sought information about loved ones.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Relatives complained they had been given no information

Image copyright Reuters

Aida Parra, who said she had last seen her son the day before, told the Associated Press news agency: "I don't know if my son is dead or alive. They haven't told me anything."

Dora Blanco told local media: "I am a desperate mother. My son has been here a week. They have not given any information."

The government has set up an inquiry.

Carabobo state governor Rafael Lacava expressed his condolences, adding: "A serious and profound investigation has been initiated to find the causes and those responsible for these regrettable events."

What's the state of Venezuela's penal system?

Facilities are notoriously overcrowded, with violence and deadly riots common.

The country has struggled to accommodate its prisoners amid an ongoing economic crisis, leading to the use of temporary facilities such as the one in Valencia.

'De facto prisons'

By Daniel García Marco, BBC Mundo, Caracas

Many police stations in Venezuela are being used as de facto prisons. Their holding cells were built for 30 to 40 people but often hundreds are crammed inside awaiting trial or transfer to a proper jail.

Detainees can sometimes spend years there. When I visited such a police station several months ago in Caracas, I saw dozens of men sharing a very small cell. Their relatives came twice a day to deliver them some food which the prisoners shared among themselves.

Carlos Nieto of Una Ventana a la Libertad says that about 45,000 people are currently locked up in 500 police stations across the country. He says that a disaster like the one that happened in Valencia could "happen anytime, anywhere and [the next one] could even be worse".

Inmates are supposed to be held for only 48 hours in police holding cells.

Una Ventana a la Libertad says some police facilities are overfilled at five times their capacity.

The organisation says that 65 people died last year in temporary cells due to violence, disease or malnutrition.

Last month inmates at a different prison in Carabobo took a number of prisoners and guards hostage in another riot. </s> The Prison Officers Association (POA) said lags have taken over the 'A' wing of the category B men's jail on the Isle of Sheppey. POA chairman Mike Rolfe said the extent of the disturbance is unclear, but it is understood the prisoners have lit fires. It comes less than a week after a major riot at HMP Birmingham, which is believed to have involved up to 600 prisoners.

Mr Rolfe said: "There is an ongoing disturbance at Swaleside. "We are not sure how bad it is yet but we understand 60 prisoners have taken control of 'A' wing there. "Some fires have been lit, apparently, and basically we know that it's an ongoing incident."

The scene at HMP Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent where a disturbance is under way

This summer a damning official report branded the prison "dangerous" and found levels of violence were "far too high". HM Inspectorate of Prisons also said the use of force was high, while the segregation unit was described as "filthy". Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said: "On the basis of the very clear evidence before us, Swaleside was not a safe prison."

A spokeswoman told Express.co.uk: "The Prison Service is dealing with an incident involving 60 prisoners at HMP Swaleside. "The incident is contained to one landing on A Wing. The rest of the prison is secure with all prisoners in locked in cells." </s> Veracruz: Six police officers died on Sunday from smoke inhalation after prisoners started a fire while resisting an effort to transfer dangerous inmates out of a prison in Mexico's Gulf coast state of Veracruz, authorities said.

Veracruz governor Miguel Angel Yunes said a seventh person died but it was unclear if he was an inmate or prison guard.

Yunes said four "highly dangerous" inmates had been helping run criminal networks in the area around the La Toma prison in the town of Amatlan de los Reyes, so officials had decided to transfer them to a maximum-security federal prison.

Yunes did not name the criminal gang involved, but the area was long dominated by Zetas cartel.

When local police, in support of state police, went into the prison to get the four inmates for transfer, they were apparently ambushed by prisoners, who blocked their escape and lit a fire that suffocated six officers, the governor said.

"The six police officers were attacked and were enclosed in an area with no exit. The inmates started a fire, and with the smoke, they caused the asphyxiation and death of the six police officers," Yunes said.

The seventh dead man was not wearing a uniform, and could have been an inmate or guard, Yunes said. His body was being examined.

Seven inmates were injured, two seriously, and 15 police officers were hospitalized, one with serious injuries, authorities said.

Mexico's largely antiquated, over-crowded and poorly guarded prisons have been the scenes of frequent riots and uprisings. In October, 16 inmates died during a prison riot in the northern Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon. In February 2016, at another lockup in Nuevo Leon, 49 prisoners died when two factions of the Zetas cartel clashed.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman launches an investigation after a burglar dies from burns suffered in a fire in his cell at HMP Risley in England.