The mother of a 33-year-old father-of-three who took his own life just four days after arriving at HMP Pentonville in North London has called for the troubled facility to be closed. The tragic incident, which occurred in July 2023, was the subject of an inquest held in January that highlighted a catalogue of failures by the prison.
Saroj Chumber's son Gareth, who had previously expressed intentions to take his own life if imprisoned, arrived at HMP Pentonville with a suicide warning and a history of self-harm. Despite this, crucial information was not acted upon, and important paperwork was reportedly lost – an issue that has plagued the prison in the past.
The inquest revealed that Gareth did not receive the necessary mental health support or welfare call within his first 24 hours, as is fundamental to all new prisoners. Following self-harm on his second day, he was still not referred to mental health services and instead placed under hourly observations – which were not consistently carried out.
Furthermore, it emerged that there were inadequate staffing levels in Gareth's wing on the morning of his death. Only four officers were present instead of the required nine, leading to a lockdown. Additionally, one prison officer admitted to falsifying an entry recording the last time Gareth was seen alive.
Saroj Chumber described her son's cell as "extremely small" and criticised the cramped conditions, where two men shared a space with only a piece of cardboard separating the toilet area for privacy. She also highlighted the additional punishment prisoners face within the prison, calling it "atrocious." Her call for government intervention and the closure of HMP Pentonville stems from concerns about its outdated infrastructure, describing it as a "completely disgusting place" plagued by pests, gang activity, and violence.
HMP Pentonville is one of 31 Victorian prisons still operational in England, with a design capacity of 520 inmates but now housing over 1,200 prisoners. Recent inspections have highlighted that nearly half of the prisoner population feels unsafe, and there is a critical lack of support for those at risk of self-harm – with staff often absent or distracted during supervision duties.
Since Gareth's death, five further individuals have taken their own lives at HMP Pentonville, including two former members of the prison service. The case has sparked widespread concern about the safety and welfare of prisoners within the facility.
Saroj Chumber believes that her son was "sentenced to death" when he entered the prison and that his human rights were disregarded. She is now advocating for greater accountability from those responsible for running HMP Pentonville, pushing for the closure of the troubled facility to prevent further tragedies.