Report of the Inquiry into the circumstances of the Death of Bernard ...

Thursday morning
8.21 Captain Palmer made a written statement for the Prison Service Investigation
and made a recent statement to the inquiry in response to extracts from a draft of the
report. Captain Palmer said Ms Lorimer asked him to look in on Mr Lodge who was due
to be released on Friday 28 August but expected to be ‘gate-arrested’ in connection with
an alleged assault at Risley that he denied. Captain Palmer said he saw Mr Lodge at
about 10.30. He invited him out of the cell on to the landing to speak more privately out
of earshot of others. He had not met Mr Lodge before so did not know his usual manner
but found him morose and unresponsive. Captain Palmer attributed this to his concern
about being gate-arrested. He offered further help from the chaplaincy and tried to
encourage Mr Lodge to take things a step at a time. He told him Ms A would visit that
afternoon, which Mr Lodge did not seem to know.
8.22 Captain Palmer told the inquiry he was asked to check on how Sonny Lodge was
doing in the light of his adverse bail decision. He did not know the detail of Ms Lorimer’s
conversations with either Mr Lodge or his girlfriend. He was not asked specifically to
consider risk of suicide and self-harm and, to the best of his recollection, did not know at
the time that Sonny Lodge had a history of self-harm. Captain Palmer said he was
trained in the F2052SH procedure and in counselling and had often opened an
F2052SH, but there was nothing in Sonny Lodge’s demeanour or overall presentation
that led him to think Sonny Lodge was at risk of self-harm or to prompt a further
conversation in a more private place.
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