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A female prisoner obtained drugs and died of an overdose because a nurse failed to ensure the medication trolley was secure, an inquest ruled today, writes Maria Ahmed.

Julie Walsh, a remand prisoner at Styal prison in Cheshire, was one of six women with drug and mental health problems to die at the prison between August 2002 and August 2003.

The jury at the inquest at Macclesfield Town Hall today ruled that Walshs’ death was “an unintentional consequence of her actions”.

Walsh died of an overdose after taking a bottle of the drug dothiepin from the medication trolley, the inquest heard.

The verdict said: “The contributing factor to her death was the failure of the nurse to secure the medication on the trolley. This provided an opportunity for the bottle of dothiepin to be taken.”

Throughout the past two weeks, the jury has heard evidence of the poor security of medication during its administration to prisoners, and the low staffing levels of nurses and prison officers.

The juries at previous Styal inquests into the deaths of Anna Baker, Sarah Campbell and Jolene Willis have returned highly critical verdicts and highlighted issues of concerns about the treatment and care of women withdrawing from drugs.

Commenting on today’s verdict, co-director of campaign group Inquest Deborah Coles questioned why the prison service had failed to implement guidelines to put proper detox regimes in place.

She added: “Since Julie’s death another 25 women have died in prisons around the country. There needs to be a wide-ranging independent public inquiry that examines the wider issues outside the scope of inquests – sentencing, allocation, and whether prison can ever be an appropriate place for vulnerable women. Such an inquiry could make a significant contribution to preventing any further loss of life.”