A female inmate who was suffering from diabetes was reportedly left to die on the floor after being denied medication by prison staff.
Forty-five-year-old Annabella Landsberg was restrained by officers at HMP Peterborough after allegedly grabbing the legs of prison staff Amy Moore while receiving medication. She was then left on the concrete floor for 21 hours without being given any food or medicine.
The following day, Moore found Landsberg, who was also HIV positive, unresponsive and soaked in her own urine. She was later taken to the hospital but died soon after.
Investigation Into Landsberg's Death
In an inquiry on Landsberg's death, Moore recounted how the diabetic inmate had behaved when they were about to administer her medication.
Some officers were called to her cell after she did not respond for her medication. She was supposed to receive the medicine through an inundation point, but she said she could not stand up. Moore thought Landsberg was just being difficult.
"She said her legs wouldn't work, so she couldn't stand up, and she was reaching at the sink," Moore said.
"She was kicking her legs about, backwards and forwards. I thought she was trying to be difficult for staff."
Landsberg was said to have grabbed Moore's legs just when other officers were entering the room. She then began kicking and wriggling toward the cell door.
After restraining Landsberg, the prison officers left her cell and went on with their duties. They collected hourly logs and checked up on her from outside her cell for at least 13 hours During this time, the inmate was said to be moaning and mumbling incoherently.
However, none of the staff entered her cell or even asked her how she was doing.
When Moore came by to check Landsberg, she noticed that the inmate had not moved or eaten. Landsberg also seemed to have wet herself while she was on the floor.
A duty nurse by the name of Lesley Watts went inside the cell and told Landsberg to get up. She called the inmate "pathetic" and then threw water over her, according to Moore.
When Landsberg still did not respond, they called an ambulance and rushed her to the hospital. She died three days later.
The inquest into Landsberg's death is still ongoing.
In 2014, Landsberg was arrested by police on charges of antisocial behavior. She was originally from Zimbabwe but had fled to the United Kingdom after she was gang raped.
Landsberg's health and mental capacity began to deteriorate after she was diagnosed with HIV 12 years ago, according to her sister Sandra.
Sandra said she had been experiencing nightmares after Landsberg's death. She has vowed to make sure that no other inmates would suffer the same fate as her sister.
Importance Of Diabetes Medication
Diabetes sufferers like Landsberg need to take medications regularly to help manage their condition. Patients may have to take different kinds of medicines depending on the type of diabetes they are diagnosed with, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
For people with type 1 diabetes, they need to take insulin medication because their bodies can no longer produce the hormone naturally. These are taken regularly along with their meals.
For type 2 diabetes sufferers, most can still manage their condition through regular exercise and by making healthy food choices. However, some may already have to depend on medications such as diabetes pills and insulin injections to keep their illness in check.
