A CORONER has concluded a serving prisoner died of natural causes after being admitted to Furness General Hospital due to suddenly falling ill in his cell.

Colin Cambray, 55, from Bolton, died in hospital in Barrow on January 19, 2024, 17 days after suffering a collapsed lung and cardiac arrest in his cell at HMP Haverigg, an inquest heard.

Statements read to Cockermouth Coroners Court that were submitted by several prison officers indicated that a ‘cell bell’ alert was raised at around 5pm on January 2 followed shortly after by a ‘general alarm’, meaning a prisoner or member of staff was in danger.

Officers reported that Mr Cambray was crawling out of his cell ‘struggling to breathe’.

Hayley Jones, a medical member of staff at the prison, rushed to the scene, saw Mr Cambray in distress and he told her he had had a collapsed lung in the past.

She said his health was ‘deteriorating quickly’

A ‘Code Blue’ alert was then called, meaning that someone had stopped breathing.

A prison staff nurse reported that Mr Cambray’s lips, hands and face had turned blue.

Paramedics arrived at the prison gates at 5.16 pm and continued performing CPR on Mr Cambray, eventually restarting his heart after around 15 minutes of cardiac arrest.

Assistant Coroner for Cumbria Dr Nicholas Shaw said the response of prison staff and paramedics was ‘very prompt and proper’.

Mr Cambray, a former coach driver, was intubated with a breathing tube at the scene and the ambulance left the prison at around 5.55pm.

A chest x-ray performed at Furness General Hospital showed that both of Mr Cambray’s lungs had collapsed and medical staff reported a ‘very high risk of hypoxic brain injury (caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain), due to his prior heart attack.

He was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit that evening but his condition did not improve.

Doctors decided that Mr Cambray’s condition was unlikely to improve as he had ‘not recovered any significant brain function’ after two weeks and he was placed on palliative care with the breathing tube removed.

He died the following day in the presence of his family.

Mr Cambray’s wife Lisa Cambray said he had a ‘heart of gold’ and a ‘very sociable person’.

She said: “He was always happy and always made everyone laugh, he would help his friends and do anything for anyone."

Ms Cambray said that her two children ‘got on really with Colin’, and he would ‘do anything for them’.

A police investigation into Mr Cambray’s death said it was ‘wholly satisfied there was no evidence of any criminal activity’.

Dr Shaw commented on an investigation report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

He said: “(It says that) care received was of a good standard and equivalent of that which should have been received in the wider community.

As a doctor, knowing what the response in the wider community would be, I think it might well be rather better than what the response in the wider community would be.”

There were no recommendations for the ombudsman to make.

Dr Shaw accepted the cause of death offered as a hypoxic brain injury, caused by a cardiac arrest and collapsed lungs.