A WOMAN serving a life-sentence in Durham Prison hanged herself in her cell, an inquest was told yesterday.

Last year, Durham Prison was named as having the highest suicide rate in England and Wales, with the deaths of six inmates.

At County Hall in Durham, an inquest was opened into the death of Diane Schooling, 52, who was found dead in the jail last year.

Inmates and staff said there was no indication that Miss Schooling was planning to take her own life, until a comment made to another prisoner a few hours before she died.

She had arrived at Low Newton Prison, in Durham, in January last year, after being given a ten-year sentence for murder at Highpoint Prison, near her home in the Peterborough area.

But on August 19, 2002 she was found hanging in her cell, after making a ligature from a shoelace and piece of cloth and attaching it to the bars of her bathroom window.

Yesterday, Miss Schooling's cousin and fellow inmate, Mandy Horner, described her as happy-go-lucky, but said she was frequently in pain as she suffered sciatica.

The day before Miss Schooling was found dead, she had been bedridden with sciatica.

Inmate Wendy Booth had been in the next door cell and told Miss Schooling if she needed help in the night to call her. To which she replied "I won't be around in the morning". Miss Booth was so concerned, she alerted prison officer Gillian Cowie.

Ms Cowie told the inquest jury that she had gone to Miss Schooling's cell and found her having a cup of tea.

The prison officer told the jury: "I asked her why she would not be here again and she said, 'because if the pain gets any worse, they'll have to do something. They'll have to take me to hospital'."

Ms Cowie was satisfied that Miss Schooling seemed her normal self and did not open a observation booklet for prisoners at risk of suicide or self harm.

The jury returned a verdict of suicide