Prolific offender died after being released because of human error, inquest told

A 'prolific offender' was released from HMP Bristol after human error meant his remand warrant was not printed out and checked, an inquest jury has heard.

Jamie Andrews had been sentenced to three weeks in prison for theft, but he was also remanded in custody to await trial on charges of burglary, fraud and shoplifting, an inquest heard. But the 49-year-old was released after just 11 days because a prison administrator had failed to print out his remand warrant.

Andrews was found dead in Reading, Berkshire, three days later and a jury has been sworn in at Reading Coroner’s Court to hear an inquest into his death.

After being sentenced at Reading Magistrates Court, the father-of-three would expect to be sent to HMP Bullingdon, the inquest heard. However that prison was full, according to Lee Ewing, who was acting head of offender management at HMP Bristol when Andrews was brought into custody on 21 November 2022.

Ewing said Andrews was then redirected to Bristol and staff at Bullingdon sent over his warrants - including his remand warrant - in a digital folder. He explained that the practice at the time was for a member of staff to then print out the digital files and place the hard copies into a paper file. A release date calculator would then work out when the prisoner was due to be released.

Hannah Godfrey, area coroner for Berkshire, asked Ewing whether those documents were all put 'appropriately' into the digital file and paper file at Bristol.

'Not on this occasion,' Ewing replied. 'Files were put into an electronic file, not all of those were printed and put into the hard copies. The member of staff who moved them from the electronic file did not print off the remand warrant and place them in the hard copy folder. The calculation was based on what was in the hard copy folder.'

Andrews was released on 1 December 2022 based on the mistaken calculation. He was found unresponsive, collapsed over his bicycle three days later and was declared dead at the scene.

Ewing told the inquest that an investigation by a senior officer concluded that staff did not check electronic folders as part of the sentence calculation, only the hard copies. Since the incident, checks have been carried out on both the electronic files and the hard copies. 

Jack Murphy, for the Ministry of Justice, suggested to Ewing: 'The best you can do is to conclude that there was a human error by an administrative officer.'

Police constable Ashleigh Coker told the inquest she saw Andrews had a prison issue bag with his name on it, which also contained prison release papers and his prison identification card. PC Coker added she recognised Andrews because he was a 'prolific offender in Reading'.

The inquest continues.