Kate Wilson appears at Inquest into the Death of Stephen Harper
Park Square BarristersAn inquest was held at Crook Coroners Court into the death of Mr Stephen Harper, who received a life sentence in 2003 for multiple counts of rape. Harper died from pressure on the neck caused by hanging after suspending himself in his cell using a home-made ligature on 26th March 2018.
Senior Assistant Coroner Mr Oliver sat with a jury, hearing evidence over four days in November 2019. The jury returned a short-form conclusion of ‘misadventure’.
The inquest heard evidence regarding Mr Harper’s antisocial personality disorder, paranoid personality traits, depression and in particular his refusal to engage with mental health services and other treatment programmes whilst in prison. The process for management of self-harm and suicide risks in prison was considered, together with the sufficiency of the emergency response, including the administering of urgent medical treatment.