Latest news with #Binfield
BBC News
24-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Guernsey FC keep slim survival hopes alive with win
Guernsey FC took their fight against relegation from Isthmian League South Central to the final day of the season after a 2-0 win at in the game, which has been re-arranged after flight disruption last Saturday, leaves Guernsey two points from safety with a game to Green Lions will stave off a first relegation in their history if they can win at 13th-placed Harrow Borough on Saturday and Metropolitan Police lose at already relegated Sutton Common their rivals draw Guernsey would need to win by an unlikely 13 goals to stay up. Brandon Wallace had two good chances in the first 30 minutes at Binfield - who are one place above Met Police - before opening the scoring in the 34th attacker saw a long range effort blocked, but a second effort was deflected in to give Guernsey the Murray went close for the islanders shortly before half time before Guernsey got their second just after the restart when Montgomery Brady turned Ross Allen's cross past his own goalkeeper. Charlton Gauvain almost made it 3-0 midway through the second half as Binfield's Coleridge Fubler saved well.
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Massive' win for Guernsey FC in relegation fight
Guernsey FC manager Tony Vance says his side's 1-0 win over Southall was "massive" in their fight against Murray scored the only goal of the game as the forward finished well from Jacques Cauvin's 65th-minute pass to seal victory. The win moves Guernsey up to fourth-from-bottom, external in Isthmian League South Central as they occupy the final relegation are three points adrift of safety with three games to play."It was a massive win, but it was also a massive performance," Vance told BBC Radio Guernsey."I thought the players were exceptional, there were some good moments in the game, big moments actually, where for example Josh (Addison) made a couple of really big saves, some good defensive displays and we had lots of final-third entries."We probably could have won by more in all fairness, but the bottom line is that doesn't matter because we've got the three points." It was the first time since January 2023 that Guernsey had kept back-to-back clean sheets after a 2-0 win at bottom side Badshot Lea last side are unbeaten in their last four matches, but the Guernsey boss knows survival is out of his hands ahead of a trip to mid-table Binfield on Saturday."We're still fighting. Obviously we still need a little bit of luck on the way," he said."In a funny kind of way this win means nothing if we don't beat Binfield and we've got to make sure we do that."That's a different game altogether than today, but we're on a decent run at the moment and have good momentum."The players have been fantastic and are really stepping up, but it's frustrating because I think it's 18 points we've lost from winning positions after 83 minutes and that might hurt us at the end of the day, but we're going to keep going and keep giving it the best shot we can."
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Prison accused of lack of candour in probe into three self-inflicted deaths in 19 days – including ex Dreamboys boss
A coroner has accused prison bosses of 'failing to act with candour' as she investigated three self-inflicted deaths in just 19 days at a scandal-hit prison, including that of the former head of the Dreamboys stripper group. A jury concluded multiple failings helped lead to the deaths of Anthony Binfield, Rolandas Karbauskas and David Richards in a matter of weeks inside HMP Lowdham Grange, a category B men's prison in Nottinghamshire. In a scathing Prevention of Future Deaths report, coroner Laurinda Bower hit out prison bosses and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for a lack of transparency during her investigation into the deaths in March 2023, noting a 'marked discrepancy' between oral testimony in the face of 'irrefutable evidence' and written submissions to the court. 'I am troubled that unless there is a radical change in culture, and reflective learning from deaths is prioritised, prisoners will continue to die in custody,' she said, having taken the unusual step of fining the MoJ £500 for failing to disclose evidence. It comes after damning new figures uncovered by The Independent revealed the scale of neglect inside Britain's overcrowded prisons, with four in ten prisoners denied adequate healthcare before they took their own lives in custody between 2020 and 2023. The chairman of the justice committee Andy Slaughter said 'we are failing people in custody' after the figures came to light, while the chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor warned 'without any doubt' there will be more potentially preventable deaths without action to drive up standards. The inquest found Binfield, 30, had asked to see mental health staff as he was feeling very low a week before his death on 6 March 2023. An email from the prison to mental health staff about this was never received, because it was sent to the new email address for private operator Sodexo, who had taken over from Serco a month earlier in the first-ever private-to-private prison transfer. On the day of his death he was supposed to be monitored every half hour, but CCTV showed that checks recorded on prison logs were in fact never completed. There was an 11-minute day in entering his cell after he was found unresponsive at 9.23pm, during which time prison officers used two pens like 'chopsticks' to try to move paper obscuring the observation panel. An expert told the inquest if they had entered promptly he would likely have survived. The inquest was told a note found in Binfield's waistband said he 'felt unheard and let down by the system and prison staff' and 'had no one to turn to for help'. A week later, Richards was also found unresponsive having recently been transferred from another prison. Richards, whose status as a vulnerable prisoner was 'not taken into consideration' when he was moved, said he 'felt petrified and unsafe' in prison during a mental health assessment before his death. The 42-year-old former leader the Dreamboys male stripping group, who had been jailed for attempting to murder his wife, had not taken his medication in at least five to six days after the prison allowed him to take it unsupervised. Just 12 days later, on 25 March, Lithuanian national Karbauskas took his own life five days after arriving at the prison. Despite speaking no English and telling a nurse on arrival he was depressed, no plan was put in place to address his isolation. 'There is a clear risk of future self-inflicted deaths if language barriers and isolation are not adequately addressed,' the coroner warned. Binfield and Karbauskas's deaths were recorded as suicide and Richards's death was recorded as an accident. In the report, sent to the prisons minister, Sodexo, Serco and the local NHS Trust, she said 'multiple failings and missed opportunities' contributed to the deaths. These include issues with recruitment, retention and training of staff who were often 'overwhelmed, over-burdened and under-supported' and a 'complete failure' to identify and share risk information between prison and healthcare teams. She also called prison transfer system 'disorganised and unsafe' and said there was a 'persistent failure to learn from deaths over many years'. The running of the prison was taken over by the Ministry of Justice in December 2023 to improve safety and security. A Sodexo spokesperson said: 'We deeply regret that Anthony Binfield, David Richards and Rolandas Karbauskas died while they were in our custody, shortly after we took over management of the prison. Our thoughts at this time are with their families and friends, we apologise to them and understand how difficult this process must have been. 'HMP Lowdham Grange – at the time we assumed responsibility in February 2023 – was a prison with a unique set of challenges, both old and new. These challenges have been fully considered during the course of this inquest and we are grateful to the Coroner for her thorough approach. Whilst we have since transferred the management and operation of the prison to HMPPS, we will fully take on board any learnings". A Ministry of Justice spokesperson added: 'Our thoughts remain with the families of Anthony Binfield, David Richards and Rolandas Karbauskas, and we offer our sincere apologies for the failings in these cases. 'Since 2024, we have boosted staffing levels to better support vulnerable prisoners, reopened education and workshops to provide greater opportunities for offenders and teamed up with Nottinghamshire Police to clamp down on the flow of contraband into the jail – resulting in several arrests.' If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Repeated failures' at Nottinghamshire prison where three inmates took their lives
There were several failings and missed opportunities at an overwhelmed prison where three inmates took their lives in the space of three weeks, an inquest jury has found. Anthony Binfield, 30, Rolandas Karbauskas, 49, and David Richards, 42, were found in their cells at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire between 6-25 March 2023. An inquest into their deaths that concluded at Nottingham coroner's court on Friday criticised 'repeated failures' at the category B men's jail, which was run by Sodexo at the time of the deaths. The jury said 'poor leadership and supervision' was likely to have 'more than minimally contributed' to their deaths. They cited a number of issues around staffing levels and the sharing of 'risk-pertinent information', with multiple missed opportunities to provide support. HM area coroner Laurinda Bower said: 'I'm concerned not only by the failures in Anthony, David and Rolandas's care, but also by the persistent failure to learn from deaths at Lowdham Grange, and by the manner in which the prison agencies have engaged with this inquest.' She issued two prevention of future deaths reports, which said staff reported being 'overwhelmed and overburdened', there was 'widespread evidence of failures to do the basics' and there was need for 'a radical change in culture, and reflective learning from deaths'. The first suicide occurred six weeks after management of the prison changed hands from Serco to Sodexo on 16 February 2023, believed to be the first private-to-private prison transfer in England and Wales. The facility was taken over permanently by the government in December 2023 due to the suicides, the 'ready availability' of illegal drugs, high levels of self-harm and 'significant staffing issues'. Binfield, who had a history of self-harm and substance abuse issues, was under half-hourly observations at the time of his death. CCTV footage played at the inquest showed that checks recorded on prison logs were never actually completed. Lynda Hurren, Binfield's aunt, told the inquest that her nephew 'tried to get help for himself, but he often felt that he wasn't given the help that he needed, and he was let down'. 'It seemed to me like the prison couldn't cope with him, and often didn't care,' she said. Richards was found dead a week later on 13 March, two weeks after arriving at the prison. He had been placed in a vulnerable prisoner unit at his previous prison for his own protection, and one staff member described him as like a 'rabbit in headlights' on arriving at Lowdham Grange. Karbauskas, a Lithuanian national who spoke limited English, died five days after his arrival in the prison. A nurse told the inquest that, when asked questions to assess his risk of suicide, Rolandas made a gesture drawing his hand across his neck, and other inmates raised concerns that he wasn't eating, but no action was taken. During the inquest, the Ministry of Justice was fined £500 for failing to meet deadlines to provide documents and evidence, with the coroner saying the penalty was an 'extraordinary step'. A spokesperson for Sodexo said it apologised to the family and friends of the deceased, and said the prison had a 'unique set of challenges, both old and new' when it took over. 'These challenges have been fully considered during the course of this inquest and we are grateful to the coroner for her thorough approach. Whilst we have since transferred the management and operation of the prison to HMPPS [HM Prison and Probation Service], we will fully take on board any learnings.' In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said: 'Our thoughts remain with the families of Anthony Binfield, David Richards and Rolandas Karbauskas, and we offer our sincere apologies for the failings in these cases. 'Since 2024, we have boosted staffing levels to better support vulnerable prisoners, reopened education and workshops to provide greater opportunities for offenders and teamed up with Nottinghamshire police to clamp down on the flow of contraband into the jail – resulting in several arrests.' In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
BBC News
07-02-2025
- BBC News
HMP Lowdham Grange: 'Repeated failures' at jail where three men died
Three prisoners found hanging in their cells in the space of three weeks died in an "overwhelmed" jail, a jury has Binfield, Rolandas Karbauskas and David Richards were inmates at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire in March inquest that concluded at Nottingham Coroner's Court on Friday criticised "repeated failures" at the Category B jail, which was run by Sodexo at the time of the jury said failures in leadership and issues surrounding the first transfer of a prison between private companies in England and Wales, the month before the deaths, had been contributing factors. 'Out of touch' The inquest heard Lowdham Grange had been previously run by Serco before it was transferred to Sodexo on 16 February 2023.A former director described the buildings as being "dirty" when he arrived, while longstanding issues with safety and drug use were also the day of the handover, staff arrived to find computers leased to Serco had been taken away, and the court heard a number of experienced prison officers had left in the months jury cited a number of issues around staffing levels and the sharing of "risk-pertinent information", with "multiple missed opportunities" to provide all three cases, it said the transfer of the prison's control "due to poor leadership and supervision" was likely to have "more than minimally contributed" to their deaths."It was apparent that senior directors were out of touch with issues being faced on the shop floor," the jury said. Anthony Binfield Anthony Binfield was 30 years old when he was found in his cell on 6 March 2023, just weeks after Lowdham Grange changed had first arrived at the jail in August 2021, and after a short period at a different jail returned in November 2022, but he had repeatedly requested a transfer to a different court heard he was known to have issues with drugs and had been attacked due to debts, yet in the days before his death, information about his mental health struggles was not passed on properly between aunt said he had been "let down" by the prison service, and said Lowdham Grange "couldn't cope with him, and often didn't care".The jury said Binfield had, on five different occasions, been placed under an ACCT (assessment, care in custody and teamwork), a process used in prison to help those at risk of self-harm or suicide, but it was not in place at the time of his was placed under half-hourly observations after being found under the influence of Spice, but staff did not carry out the checks properly, with CCTV showing them also not present at his cell when they said they jury said when the observation hatch to Binfield's cell door was covered, "there was an 11-minute delay before the prison staff entered the cell", with "no urgency" to call an a conclusion of suicide, it said a note found laid bare how he "felt let down and unheard by the system and by the prison staff"."Anthony felt trapped by the system, out of depth, and felt he had no-one to turn to for help," jurors added. David Richards A week after Binfield's death, David Richards, 42, was also found hanging in his had arrived at the jail on 24 February, and the inquest heard he was "very unhappy" about being moved to a site without a vulnerable prisoner unit due to threats made against him at his previous prison, where he had been on four ACCTs at various jury found staff at Lowdham Grange "were not aware of his previous ACCTs due to not reading his history", while his status as a vulnerable prisoner "was not taken into consideration before his transfer or upon arrival".A mental health assessment recorded Richards as being "petrified and unsafe in prison", with a prison induction officer warning he was like a "rabbit in headlights" when learning there was no dedicated unit for vulnerable he learned he was due to be transferred from the induction site to a wing on 13 March, Richards "raised multiple concerns to the induction officer regarding his safety"."His concerns were not taken into consideration and he was told he would be 'moved by force' if he did not co-operate with the move," the jury said."[Richards] had now been consistently lied to regarding the decisions around his move and safety."At about 11:35 GMT on 13 March, Richards was last seen alive, before he was discovered hanging in his cell by another prisoner at 13: jury said his "likely intention when performing this act was a cry for help", and concluded his death was an accident, but said there was a failure to perform a welfare check when his cell was unlocked at 11:45. Rolandas Karbauskas Rolandas Karbauskas arrived at Lowdham Grange on 20 March, five days before he was found hanging in his cell by a fellow 49-year-old had a history of depression, but the jury heard no formal action was taken to address his mental health issues when he transferred from HMP Lincoln, and found that healthcare staff did not read his history on spoke "little to no English", which was not flagged as putting him at risk of isolation, and staff used a fellow inmate who was fluent in Lithuanian to assist them, which the jury said was "not appropriate".A nurse made an urgent mental health referral and "advised multiple times" for the need for an interpreter, but an interpreter was not booked for the referral on 23 March."This was an inadequate provision of care as an interpreter was a vital part of his next appointment," the jury Karbauskas raising a history of depression at the referral - where a prison officer who spoke Lithuanian and was "by chance" at Lowdham Grange on secondment provided assistance - but no ACCT was wing buddy raised concerns on 24 March, but a prison officer who saw him in his cell for three minutes "took no action", which the jury said was "a missed opportunity" to monitor was found hanging in his cell by his wing buddy at about 10:30 on 25 March, and the jury found no adequate welfare check was carried out when his cell was unlocked earlier that a conclusion of suicide, the jury cited the "questionable" translation service that "led to distinct language barrier issues", and also highlighted problems as the prison moved from being run by Serco to Sodexo. 'Extremely concerning' Following the jury's conclusions, area coroner Laurinda Bower thanked the jury for their diligence during an "incredibly protracted inquest", which began hearing evidence on 4 November last also raised "a number of concerns" regarding conditions at Lowdham Grange, and the way the inquest was responded to by some parties."I'm concerned not only by the failures in Anthony, David and Rolandas's care, but also by the persistent failure to learn from deaths at Lowdham Grange, and by the manner in which the prison agencies have engaged with this inquest," she said."Getting to the truth has been challenging."Ms Bower also criticised a failure to act "with candour" from some witnesses, adding: "The agencies involved must stand back and consider how they engage with inquests."She issued two prevention of future death reports, one concerning the "multiple failings and missed opportunities" found by the jury in the care of all report was issued regarding the death of Binfield and the way Lowdham Grange prison staff managed the covering of observation panels on the door to his cell, which she said "is not a new issue for the prison" and led her to worry "that the prison has failed to tackle this issue over many years"."There is a dangerous culture of staff assuming the prisoner has obscured the observation panel for privacy purposes or as a form of protest against the regime," she said in her address to the current governor."This neglects the obvious and very real risk that the prisoner is seeking to harm themselves, without detection."If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, you can visit the BBC Action Line.
