Report of the Inquiry into the circumstances of the Death of Bernard ...

forcefully, but for prison staff, it’s pretty much a day-to-day occurrence. It’s not something
that lays heavy on you and that you would consider being a major altercation, so I
wouldn’t believe there would be any lasting effect from the original altercation.”
Though Officer Downs decided Sonny Lodge deserved to be locked up for the evening
because of it.
19.16 From one point of view, Sonny was an obvious target. According to his history
sheets he had been caught swinging lines on K wing. Officer Downs said Sonny’s
behaviour aroused his suspicions. Unauthorised articles are sometimes passed into the
prison on visits. He was on ”bang-up” already so the officers could do a search without
interfering with another prisoner’s association period, which no doubt would have been
resented.
19.17 From Sonny Lodge’s point of view, the search seems to have heightened his
sense of victimisation. He believed the officers were going to plant something in his cell.
He was wrong about that. Nothing was found in the search and there has been no
evidence of any foundation for that particular belief. However, there were aspects of the
search that give the impression of a connection with the incident in the afternoon. Officer
Downs’ involvement was one link. Then, without any apparent cause, Officer Bowcock
took the opportunity to remind Sonny Lodge not to abuse the officers. That could only
have been because of what Officer Downs told him about happened in the afternoon.
Entries in the history sheets
19.18 The four pages of history sheets contained three significant entries apart from the
disciplinary ones. They stated that Sonny Lodge was alleged to have assaulted Officer
Brownley at Risley, that he had been on F2052SH after serious self-harm, and that he
had been to a discharge board that day but was not for release.
19.19 Did the officers see the entry about the alleged assault and were they influenced
by it? Officer Bowcock says he did not look at the history sheets at all though he had
formed an impression that Sonny Lodge was not a model prisoner. Officer Downs wrote
in the history sheets and saw other entries but said he did not recall seeing the reference
to the alleged assault. Both officers said they were certainly not influenced by it. Father
McCann said Sonny Lodge told him that during the incident in the cell one of the officers
referred to the alleged assault and called Officer Brownley by his name. That is not
sufficient evidence to find that it happened.
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