Spice in vape caused prisoner's death - inquest

A 24-year-old died at a prison in Nottinghamshire from a cardiac arrest caused by vaping synthetic cannabinoids, an inquest has found.

Adam Diesa-Green, who was born in Bolton, Greater Manchester, was found unresponsive in his cell at HMP Lowdham Grange at about 17:50 GMT on 17 January 2025.

A jury at Nottingham Coroner's Court returned a conclusion of death by misadventure, finding taking the drug, commonly known as Spice, in a modified vape was "a reckless act".

They said Spice "and other illicit substances were widely available in the prison at the time".

The court heard Diesa-Green had been jailed for wounding with intent, and arrived at Lowdham Grange - a Category B jail - on 23 June 2023.

He had previously engaged with the prison's substance misuse team, the jury said, and "received a number of warnings about the dangers of using Spice".

In their conclusions, the jury said Diesa-Green was not on a check system for vulnerable prisoners, known as assessment, care in custody and teamwork (ACCT), and had access to vapes from the prison's shop.

"The synthetic cannabinoids in Adam's possession caused his death," they said.

"A modified vape for inhaling Spice was found in [his] cell on the day of his death."

Simon Burge, assistant coroner, echoed the jury in offering his condolences to Diesa-Green's family, and said the deceased was a "cheerful" and "happy" person, who was much-loved by friends and family.

"He had a positive impact on the lives of those around him," he said.

While noting concerns over the prevalence of drugs in prison, and also telling the jury he had covered other similar cases at Lowdham Grange, Burge said he was "satisfied" by changes made at the jail and would not issue a prevention of future deaths report.

"The challenge of preventing drugs getting into prison, stepping them being spread so widely and easily in the prison, and identifying those affected by substances, such as Spice, is an ongoing challenge, and nobody is going to pretend it's easy," he said.

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