'Lack of information' before prisoner murdered

A coroner has said she is concerned about a "lack of formal information sharing" after a prisoner with a complex psychological history killed a fellow inmate.

Andrew Thorpe was told by a judge he would serve a minimum of 35 years in prison for the "vicious" attack on Jonathon Thornton at HMP Nottingham in 2024.

Following an inquest into Thornton's death, Alexandra Pountney, assistant coroner for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said she was concerned if more information was not provided to prison staff it gave rise to a risk of future death.

A Prison Service spokesperson said it would "carefully consider" the findings of the the coroner and respond in due course.

Thorpe attacked Thornton after being told he had made racist remarks while they were both detained at the prison in June 2024.

The 39-year-old - who was awaiting trial for attempted murder at the time - followed Thornton around the prison and lured him into the showers before attacking him.

Thorpe was convicted of murder and attempted murder in April 2025 and sentenced the following month.

Thorpe had been remanded to the prison following the attempted murder of Declan Hales in May 2024.

The prevention of future deaths report issued by Pountney said at the time of his arrest, he had been under the care of the community forensic team, which provides mental health services for adults of all ages in Nottingham.

The report said six months prior to this he had been released into the community from a secure unit where he had been placed after being given a hospital order following an attack on a fellow inmate at HMP Birmingham in 2011.

He was put on a 24-hour staffed support living scheme in Nottingham on 17 November 2023 and arrested for attempted murder on 29 May 2024.

"This complex psychological history was either not known, or not understood, by the operational prison staff and many of the healthcare staff at the prison," Pountney wrote in the report.

Pountney wrote she heard during Thornton's inquest there had been "various barriers" to information sharing between the community forensic team and prison healthcare.

"There was no formal system in place for the handover of information between these teams at the time of Jonathan's death or at the conclusion of the inquest," she said.

"Prison Healthcare staff were often unavailable or uncontactable for handover meetings."

She added the handover of information between the community forensic team and prison healthcare was "vital" for the risk assessment and management of prisoners who are known to the community forensic team - which she wrote were often some of the most complex and high-risk prisoners.

"I am concerned that the lack of formal information sharing between the two departments gives rise to a risk of future death," she wrote.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was the healthcare provider at HMP Nottingham the time of Thornton's murder.

A spokesperson said: "We would like to again extend our condolences to Jonathan's family and friends for their loss.

"As stated at the inquest, as part of the learning identified from the case, the Community Forensic Team Standard Operating Procedure is under review.

"However, to ensure immediate clarity, new guidance around information sharing with prison healthcare teams was put in place and this was shared with the incoming new healthcare provider at HMP Nottingham, who took over delivery of healthcare services in November 2025.

"We are due to respond to the coroner by June outlining how we are addressing the issues raised and we would also like to share that information with Jonathan's family prior to its public release, so will refrain from further comment on the specifics until that time."

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said it was "committed to learning" from all incidents in its healthcare settings, as well as continuously improving its practices.

"Since we began providing healthcare services at HMP Nottingham in November 2025, we have been working to make improvements to healthcare processes and ways of working," the trust said.

"We are preparing a formal response to the coroner to address the concerns raised in this report."

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