Woman visitor locked in prison toilet for 23 hours

A prison visitor stayed far longer than she wished when she went to the toilet in a jail. The woman had nipped to the toilet at Les Nicolles Prison on the Channel island of Guernsey after going to see her jailed husband. Guards then locked her in and failed to realise she was missing. She remained trapped inside the toilet block overnight until it was unlocked 23 hours later.

The woman went to the toilet as the prisoners went back to their cells and the visitors were leaving. "The poor woman was in a terrible state. She banged on the door and shouted for help but no one heard her," a source said. "Visitors have to hand their mobiles in so she couldn’t phone for help either. In the end she had no option but to curl up and sleep. She looked completely bedraggled and was cold and hungry.



"It was a real blunder and an extremely serious lapse in security. After the visits all the guests were counted into the lobby and the woman used the toilet there. But when the group was escorted out of the prison, officers didn’t notice she was missing and locked up." An inquiry has been launched at the prison.

Management apologised to the woman and said procedures had been improved. “There are worries she’ll sue,” the source added. Guernsey’s Home Minister Geoff Mahy said: “One of the guards was distracted, which is no excuse, and the lady was inadvertently locked in. The officer concerned is very upset and has apologised. We have put our hands up and admit an error was made.”