ex-BK Stephen Finch has committed suicide in prison. Stephen, we reported earlier, was arrested and charged for setting fire to a Brahma Kumari shop in Essex, England. During the court proceedings, it was said that "a nurse assessed Mr Finch’s mental health and although he did not display any symptoms of a severe mental health problem, Mr Finch expressed some paranoid and delusional thoughts about the Brahma Kumaris".
The nurse had some concerns about his risk of suicide and self-harm and completed a warning form. Stephen had been previously diagnosed with chronic generalised anxiety disorder. She noted that Mr Finch showed no signs of anxiety or depression and she found no evidence of serious mental health problems. Mr Finch said he occasionally had difficulty sleeping due to ruminating about the Brahma Kumaris.
At about 4.55am on 23 May, the night patrol officer found Mr Finch hanged in his cell.
According to the official investigation,
Mr Finch was sentenced to five years in prison for racially/religiously aggravated criminal damage and had been in prison for 16 months at the time.
In HMP Wayland, Stephen was assessed by a nurse who recorded that he had no thoughts of suicide or self-harm but that he continued to have some social problems because he had been brainwashed by the Brahma Kumaris.
She recorded that Mr Finch had no current symptoms of depression or anxiety, or of a serious mental illness. He was a popular prisoner who other prisoners sought out for advice, and had talked positively about his family and looked forward to their visits.
He hanged himself with a sheet tied around his neck and to the window bars.
From the official report.
The nurse had some concerns about his risk of suicide and self-harm and completed a warning form. Stephen had been previously diagnosed with chronic generalised anxiety disorder. She noted that Mr Finch showed no signs of anxiety or depression and she found no evidence of serious mental health problems. Mr Finch said he occasionally had difficulty sleeping due to ruminating about the Brahma Kumaris.
At about 4.55am on 23 May, the night patrol officer found Mr Finch hanged in his cell.
According to the official investigation,
After Mr Finch died, staff found letters to his parents and partner, his last will and testament and a letter to staff. In the letters, Mr Finch said he was ending his life to escape the Brahma Kumaris. He thanked prison staff for their kindness and support and said that they were not responsible for his death.
Mr Finch was sentenced to five years in prison for racially/religiously aggravated criminal damage and had been in prison for 16 months at the time.
In HMP Wayland, Stephen was assessed by a nurse who recorded that he had no thoughts of suicide or self-harm but that he continued to have some social problems because he had been brainwashed by the Brahma Kumaris.
She recorded that Mr Finch had no current symptoms of depression or anxiety, or of a serious mental illness. He was a popular prisoner who other prisoners sought out for advice, and had talked positively about his family and looked forward to their visits.
He hanged himself with a sheet tied around his neck and to the window bars.
From the official report.
After Mr Finch’s death, staff found a last will and testament (dated 30 April 2016) and four letters in his cell. One letter was for his partner, two were for his parents, and one was for the officers working on his wing (dated 2 May 2016).
Mr Finch wrote to his parents that he could no longer cope with continued [...] attacks by the Brahma Kumaris and had decided to take control by ending his life. Mr Finch wrote that prison staff had treated him with kindness and respect and were not responsible for his death.
n the letter to staff, Mr Finch apologised for what he had left them to deal with and thanked them for the kindness and respect they had shown to him. Mr Finch wrote that he wanted to make it clear that his treatment in prison had nothing to do with his decision to end his life.