Man jailed over riot killed himself after racism accusation, jury finds
A 61-year-old man serving time for participating in riots outside an asylum seeker hotel in Rotherham in August 2024 was found dead in his prison cell two months later. An inquest concluded that he died by suicide following the delivery of disciplinary paperwork related to comments he had made about immigration and asylum seekers during a routine drugs test conversation with prison officers.
The jury's formal determination attributed his death to his conviction that he had no means to defend himself after receiving notice of the adjudication hearing. Prison officers had reported his remarks as racist, though Lynch disagreed with their characterisation. The inquest found that proper procedures had been followed in notifying him of the allegations, which he was scheduled to address with a prison governor the morning after his death.
- Inquest jury concludes that a 61-year-old man imprisoned for his role in August 2024 riots at a Rotherham asylum seeker hotel died by suicide in October 2024, two months after his sentencing
- Lynch received disciplinary papers for alleged racist comments made during a prison drugs test; the jury determined his belief that he was defenseless following this notification led to his death
- The coroner confirmed proper procedure was followed, though Lynch had disputed whether his immigration-related remarks constituted racism