40-year-old inmate dies at HMP Parc

A 40-YEAR-OLD prisoner has died at the troubled HMP Parc. Matthew Gilbert was declared dead on September 22 at the Bridgend jail, which has been at the centre of various controversies since last year.

- CONOR GOGARTY Investigations editor [e-mail]

A spokeswoman for G4S, the private security firm that runs Parc, said: "Next of kin has been informed and our thoughts are with his family and friends. As with all deaths in custody, this will be investigated by the prisons and probation ombudsman, and the cause of death is for the coroner to determine."

South Wales Police has been approached for further information. No statement has been released about the cause of death.

Earlier this year a damning report into Parc found a failure to tackle an "alarming" flow of drugs had led to "a spate of tragic deaths".

The inspector concluded standards had "declined significantly" from 2022 because of G4S winning a 10-year contract to run the jail.

The report pointed to serious deficiencies including cell windows that could be easily opened from inside, allowing drugs to be pulled in from drones, an issue first reported by the Western Mail months earlier.