'I died three times' Birmingham ex-prisoner speaks out after riots

A former Birmingham Prison inmate has revealed how he died three times after taking illegal drugs behind bars.

Ricky Wood, who collapsed inside the Winson Green jail three weeks ago, says his family was not told when the incident happened.

He accused private prison firm G4S of trying to cover up a drug epidemic inside the jail.

Wood’s life was saved by paramedics who revived him and took him to Birmingham’s City Hospital. His family, from Tamworth, confirmed they were not told of the emergency.

Instead, it was left to the 28-year-old inmate to break the news to them himself. He had taken Black Mamba, a so-called ‘legal high’ before it was banned.

Wood, who was freed from the prison on the day of the riots, recalled:

An official report by the prison watchdog in October said bosses at Birmingham needed to find an “urgent solution” to stop inmates smuggling drugs – particularly psychoactive substances such as Mamba and Spice – warning that staff were increasingly concerned about their personal safety.

Birmingham Prison boss Jerry Petherick says that drugs such as Black Mamba are the 'scourge' of the prison service – and he admits that a ‘very small minority’ of prison staff have been involved in bringing the drugs into the jail.

Mr Petherick, managing director for G4S Custody and Detention Services, said he ‘despised’ corrupt guards.

He revealed that HMP Birmingham has shipped out nearly a third of all its prisoners in the wake of last week’s rioting. Some 500 inmates have been moved to 30 prisons across the country and all four damaged wings remain closed. The cost of the damage is still being counted.

Mr Petherick added that he had been “truly humbled” by the bravery his staff had shown during the riots. There had been ‘unbelievable acts of bravery’ – and some have been traumatised by what they experienced. He also praised West Midlands Police, the Prison Service and other emergency services.