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Court: Prisoner denies faking fit to foil guards away from fight
AN INMATE has denied faking an epileptic fit in Peterborough jail as a distraction to enable others to beat up another prisoner, who later died.
AN INMATE has denied faking an epileptic fit in Peterborough jail as a distraction to enable others to beat up another prisoner, who later died.A court has heard that Dale Maddison (43) of Deacons Lane, Ely, may have pretended to have the fit in order to distract wardens and allow colleagues time to get unnoticed into the cell of Brian Haynes (33).
Mr Haynes died on September 11 last year at HMP Peterborough, after an alleged assault in his cell by six other prisoners, who were said to have resented him over his supposed drug and tobacco dealing in the prison.
Jurors at Norwich Crown Court have heard that Mr Haynes had an undiagnosed underlying heart problem, which, combined with the stress of the alleged assault in his cell, led to him having a fatal heart attack.
But in an interview with police, read to jurors yesterday, Maddison said he had not faked the fit.
He said: "I was asked to provide a distraction but I did not do it."
He said it had been a coincidence that he had collapsed just as five men went in to Mr Haynes' cell.
He added: "I am not involved in any shape or form in anything. I did not fake a fit. My fit is not linked to what happened."
Asked by prosecutor John Farmer whether the beating was over a drugs deal, Maddision replied that he did not know.
Maddison said he had gone and had a look around Mr Haynes' cell after someone had remarked that Haynes had not looked too good.
He said he had found Haynes dead and had then reported it to prison officers.
In a previous interview read in court earlier this week, Maddison claimed he had not had any part in any such incident.
He said he was not aware of anyone who may have been responsible for the alleged assault.
Maddison with Shane Farrington (26) of Peterborough Prison, Sammy Lindsay (22) now of Hackney, East London, Sebastian Waller (26) of Moorland Court, Skaters Way, Peterborough and Gary Stretch (43) of Wigstone Road, March, have all denied manslaughter.
A sixth man, Paul Jefford (24), of Wellington Street, Peterborough, has admitted the offence.
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