AN INQUEST found that a prisoner had taken her own life at the women's centre in Durham Prison.

Wendy Booth, who was serving a life sentence for murdering a friend, was found hanging in her cell on November 12, 2003.

She had been placed on suicide watch on numerous occasions since arriving at the prison in February, 2002.

Before her death, Ms Booth, of London, had been described as withdrawn and very down and had not been eating properly.

The jury was told she had been monitored after she cut her left wrist with a razor. This had happened soon after she heard she had not won her right to appeal against her conviction.

Despite her vulnerability, the observations by prison staff on her were reduced from every 15 minutes to every half hour on the day of her death, the inquest at Chester-le-Street Magistrates' Court was told.

The decision was taken because it was felt a 15-minute watch was not going to "give her a good night's sleep".

She was the fifth woman to take her own life at the women's unit in Durham Prison between August 2002 and November 2003.

At the time of Ms Booth's death, about 16 per cent of the prisoners were being monitored for self-harm.

Fiona Borrill, solicitor for the family, said: "It is highly regrettable that two more women have had to die in Durham Prison before the women's wing was finally closed in September, despite the earlier recommendations by the chief inspector of prisons."

Sandy McEwan, Governor of HMP Durham, said: "Considerable improvements in our approach to caring for those at risk of harm have been made since Wendy Booth's tragic death.

"We will reflect carefully on the inquest verdict and consider all the points made."