Starving, she stole food, sentenced to 10mths in jail,
miscarried in cell left to clean up own blood
A pregnant woman who miscarried while in a cell at a private prison was left to clear up after herself, a court heard.
Although remand prisoner Nadine Wright lost her baby in the presence of a nurse, she claims the foetus was not taken away from the cell afterwards.
Her barrister, Philip Gibbs, told Leicester Crown Court: “There was blood everywhere and she was made to clean it up.
“The baby was not removed from the cell. It was quite appalling. It was very traumatic.”
Mr Gibbs, who was representing Wright at a sentencing hearing, said: “She only received health care three days later, after the governor intervened.”
The incident is alleged to have taken place at HMP Peterborough on November 23, the day after Wright was taken into custody.
The information was revealed when Wright (37) appeared for sentencing for breaching court orders, by committing a shoplifting offence and failing to attend appointments with the probation service.
She was sentenced to 10 months’ jail.
Mr Gibbs also hit out at the probation service, accusing it of failing to assist Wright in getting any benefit payments during the 11 months she was under its supervision.
In desperation, she stole £13.94 worth of food from the Co-op, in Newbold Verdon, because she was hungry, he said.
The court heard that Wright, formerly of Sparkenhoe, Newbold Verdon, has been battling heroin addiction since her teens and lived a “chaotic lifestyle”.
Her mother died in September and Wright, who has mental health issues, was ill-equipped to deal with the loss, said Mr Gibbs.
He said Wright was remanded into custody while pregnant and grieving for her mother.
She has previously had a child taken from her for adoption by social services, due to her addiction, he said.
Within 24 hours of being locked up in HMP Peterborough, she miscarried. It was not stated in court how many months pregnant she was.
Wright pleaded guilty to breaching two community orders imposed – one in November 2012 for a house burglary and theft and another in July for shoplifting.
Wright has 26 previous offences on her record.
Paul Trotter, for the probation service, said Wright had failed to co-operate and did not attend appointments.
Mr Gibbs said Wright’s legal representatives would be investigating her alleged mistreatment in prison.
HMP Peterborough is a category B privately-run prison, opened in 2005 and managed by Sodexo Justice Services.
The Mercury contacted the company for a comment about the claims, but a spokesperson said it “cannot comment publicly on individual cases”.
The spokesperson refused to say whether any inquiry relating to the alleged incident is being held.
The spokesperson said: “A prisoner received medical treatment on the day of her arrival in prison and was seen by a GP the following day.
“We have a duty of care to all prisoners that we hold. As part of that, we ensure that all prisoners have access to the same level of NHS services as those in the community.”
Leicester Mercury
A pregnant woman who miscarried while in a cell at a private prison was left to clear up after herself, a court heard.
Although remand prisoner Nadine Wright lost her baby in the presence of a nurse, she claims the foetus was not taken away from the cell afterwards.
Her barrister, Philip Gibbs, told Leicester Crown Court: “There was blood everywhere and she was made to clean it up.
“The baby was not removed from the cell. It was quite appalling. It was very traumatic.”
Mr Gibbs, who was representing Wright at a sentencing hearing, said: “She only received health care three days later, after the governor intervened.”
The incident is alleged to have taken place at HMP Peterborough on November 23, the day after Wright was taken into custody.
The information was revealed when Wright (37) appeared for sentencing for breaching court orders, by committing a shoplifting offence and failing to attend appointments with the probation service.
She was sentenced to 10 months’ jail.
Mr Gibbs also hit out at the probation service, accusing it of failing to assist Wright in getting any benefit payments during the 11 months she was under its supervision.
In desperation, she stole £13.94 worth of food from the Co-op, in Newbold Verdon, because she was hungry, he said.
The court heard that Wright, formerly of Sparkenhoe, Newbold Verdon, has been battling heroin addiction since her teens and lived a “chaotic lifestyle”.
Her mother died in September and Wright, who has mental health issues, was ill-equipped to deal with the loss, said Mr Gibbs.
He said Wright was remanded into custody while pregnant and grieving for her mother.
She has previously had a child taken from her for adoption by social services, due to her addiction, he said.
Within 24 hours of being locked up in HMP Peterborough, she miscarried. It was not stated in court how many months pregnant she was.
Wright pleaded guilty to breaching two community orders imposed – one in November 2012 for a house burglary and theft and another in July for shoplifting.
Wright has 26 previous offences on her record.
Paul Trotter, for the probation service, said Wright had failed to co-operate and did not attend appointments.
Mr Gibbs said Wright’s legal representatives would be investigating her alleged mistreatment in prison.
HMP Peterborough is a category B privately-run prison, opened in 2005 and managed by Sodexo Justice Services.
The Mercury contacted the company for a comment about the claims, but a spokesperson said it “cannot comment publicly on individual cases”.
The spokesperson refused to say whether any inquiry relating to the alleged incident is being held.
The spokesperson said: “A prisoner received medical treatment on the day of her arrival in prison and was seen by a GP the following day.
“We have a duty of care to all prisoners that we hold. As part of that, we ensure that all prisoners have access to the same level of NHS services as those in the community.”
Leicester Mercury
