A man charged with raping a 13-year-old girl died at Winchester Prison with 10 times the normal dose of paracetamol in his blood, an inquest heard.
Derek Rispoli (44), of Brighton, had been staying at Fareham Bail Hostel awaiting trial when he secretly took the overdose.
It was not until two days later, when the drug began to take hold, that he asked for a doctor. But, by then it was too late, a pathologist told the inquest jury at Winchester on Wednesday.
Mr Rispoli had written letters from the hostel to his family, saying it would be his last contact with them. It was thought he had taken the overdose at about the same time as he posted the letters, on Tuesday, April 2nd.
Two days later, he appeared before Fareham Magistrates because he had breached bail conditions and when they were told a suicide note had been found under his pillow, they decided he should be kept in prison until his trial.
Mr Rispoli was sick in the court holding cell, but custody officer, Richard Gill, said this was not unusual and he had not looked particularly unwell. However, just before being taken to Winchester, he began asking for a doctor.
"He looked a bit peaky, but said it was just nerves," said Mr Gill. "Then he asked for a doctor. He said he wasn't feeling very well - that's all he said."
Mr Gill added that he told his senior officer that Mr Rispoli wanted medical help and was told the prison van would be there within half-an-hour. "He said he would be fine until he got to Winchester," Mr Gill told the inquest.
During the 30-minute journey, Mr Rispoli twice asked how much further it was, according to escort officer, Alexandra Dunn. The van was held up at the prison gates for about five minutes, she said, while pedestrians were cleared from the area.
Mr Rispoli asked again for a doctor and, when the van arrived, he was the first out. Within 10 minutes, he collapsed and died in the reception area.
Health care officer, Caroline Green, called when prison officers saw he was ill, found him "hyperventilating and flushed".
"Suddenly, he was very blue and I saw he was struggling to breathe," she said. She called for oxygen, an ambulance and a doctor, but Mr Rispoli stopped breathing and then his heart stopped beating.
They tried for 20 minutes to revive him, she said, before a doctor pronounced him dead.
Consultant pathologist, Dr Roger Ainsworth, said Mr Rispoli had 176 milligrams of paracetamol per litre in his blood. "The normal therapeutic amount would be 17," he added.
The drug must have been in his system for two or three days before he died, he said, but treatment was impossible after 24 hours. "That there was this much left in his blood after death suggests he took a large overdose," Dr Ainsworth said.
"You can be treated in the first day, but after that, it's too late. You don't realise you're in grave danger. It's a day or two before symptoms show."
The jury returned a verdict of suicide.
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