Jake Anthony O’Brien was on remand at Forest Bank prison at the time of his death
11:06, 21 Apr 2026Updated 11:32, 21 Apr 2026
Jake Anthony O’Brien, 22, died at Salford Royal Hospital on November 12, 2024 after being found hanging in his cell at Forest Bank prison, an inquest heard.
A mum said she knew her son was “going to die” as soon as he was transferred from HMP Liverpool to privately-run Forest Bank. Jake Anthony O’Brien died at Salford Royal Hospital on November 12, 2024 after being found hanging in his cell at Forest Bank prison, an inquest heard.
The 22-year-old’s mum, Sarah O’Brien, told the proceedings that she “knew he was going to die” as soon as he was moved to the category B men’s private prison in Salford following a spell at Walton prison. O’Brien was moved to Forest Bank from the Liverpool jail three weeks before his death.
And Ms O’Brien said when she heard her son was moving she knew it was “the start of the end of his life”. She added: “I can’t even tell you the feeling that I had. Nobody listened and he ended up dead.”
O’Brien was on remand at Forest Bank after being charged with car crime offences. Giving evidence at the inquest, Ms O’Brien said that her first-born son was “extremely precious” and “very, very deeply loved”.
While her son was at HMP Liverpool she became increasingly concerned about his mental health and repeatedly contacted the prison, mental health services and her local MP, along with other authorities, to express her concerns for his wellbeing.
The inquest heard O’Brien, who was experiencing psychosis and had a history of self-harm, “acted younger than his age” and was “cognitively slower”. The Manchester Evening News reported the young man had a history of schizophrenia in his family and had taken ketamine around the time of his psychosis.
His mum told the hearing he had contracted encephalitis when he was a baby and was informed by doctors that “if he lived he was going to be severely brain damaged”. He was also in a serious car accident in 2020 which may have resulted in brain damage, the inquest heard.
Jake Anthony O’Brien
O’Brien, from Altrincham, had ADHD and a “strong probability” of having autism. He was also experiencing psychosis and having delusions, the inquest heard.
Ms O’Brien told the hearing about how she would speak to her son over the phone and try and reassure him, as well as emailing councillors, hospitals and other professionals to try and get him help.
She added that she was hoping he would be transferred to Edenfield, a medium secure service that provides care and treatment for people with enduring mental health needs.
The inquest also heard how O’Brien had undergone an assessment by a consultant psychiatrist to see if he should be transferred to a mental health facility shortly before his transfer to Forest Bank. However, it was deemed in his best interest to re-assess and monitor his behaviour over the following weeks.
It was also noted that the inmate’s psychosis symptoms seemed to be improving at the time of his assessment and that he seemed to benefit from the structured environment he received at HMP Liverpool.
He was taken to Salford Royal Hospital on November 9 and died three days later. The inquest heard there were no suspicious circumstances and his injuries were consistent with death by hanging.
The inquest into O’Brien’s death, which opened on Monday at Bolton Coroners’ Court, is due to run for 14 working days.
The jury were informed that they will hear from 50 witnesses over the course of the hearing, with the coroner informing them they will have to piece together a “jigsaw puzzle” of evidence surrounding the death.