A PRISON Service inquiry is underway into the death of an inmate at Durham Jail.

Gary Hickman, 39, from Easington Lane, near Houghton-le-Spring, was found hanging in his cell at the prison on Wednesday.

The alert was raised after the discovery was made at 5.40am, but, despite efforts to revive him by both staff and paramedics called to the prison, he was pronounced dead at 6.40am.

Mr Hickman was on remand at the prison for drugs-related offences and his case was listed before Sunderland magistrates today.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Hickman.

"As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation."

He added that the inquiry findings will "feed into" the usual inquest proceedings.

An inquest was being opened by the Durham coroner today, to be adjourned until inquiries into the death are concluded.

Mr Hickman was jailed for three years, for child abduction and taking a vehicle without consent, at Newcastle Crown Court in June 2003.

It related to an incident in February that year when he drove off in a car left with the engine running outside a shop, still with the owner's 17-week-old daughter strapped into the back seat.

Despite being pursued by the father in another car he continued driving and it was only 25 minutes later that the abandoned vehicle was found nearby, in Hetton-le-Hole, with the baby still safely strapped into the rear seat.

The sentence was reduced to two years by London's Criminal Appeal Court in November 2003.