A CONVICTED man from Bournemouth with a history of mental-health issues hanged himself at his Winchester prison cell, an inquest heard.

Sheldon Woodford, of no fixed abode, was found at HMP Winchester’s A wing on March 9 last year, and declared dead in hospital three days later.

The inquest was told Woodford – who was serving a custodial sentence for a separate theft conviction – pleaded guilty to robbery on January 23, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years on February 13, and made a first attempt on his life on February 24.

The 24-year-old was jailed for robbing pensioner Betty Aldworth in December 2014. He was reported to police by his mum Sharron Lewis after she recognised him from CCTV images.

Consultant psychiatrist at the prison, Dr Adrian Feeney, told the hearing Woodford was being treated for ADHD and depression and had been known to take legal highs regularly.

Records showed Woodford tried to take his own life in December 2014, Dr Feeney said. He told the court Woodford's father and brother had suffered from schizophrenia, and that his brother died from an overdose.

Dr Feeney told the inquest that despite trying to hang himself and self-harming in February, Woodford was looking forward to seeing his fiancé, Alex Tasker, and their six-month-old baby and “had no wish to die”.

But Ms Tasker’s representative Tom Stoate said Woodford head-butted walls, smashed up his cell and he cut himself with a razor blade, demanding a medication review at a mental health meeting the next day.

Prison head of function Louise Myatt told yesterday’s hearing that “self-inflicted injury remains the prison’s biggest risk”.

“No matter what, if the prisoner is a risk to himself or others then action would need to be taken and we would use every resource before we would go to any extent physically, and we would avoid that wherever possible,” she said.

Home Office pathologist Dr Basil Purdue recorded the cause of death as ‘delayed effects of ligature suspension’. The hearing continues.