### Tragic Last Messages of Prisoner Expose Deep Failures Within Care Systems
In a moving account of neglect that culminated in tragedy, the final communications from Calum Inglis, a 34-year-old inmate, have brought to light the profound suffering he endured in his last hours. Found lifeless in his cell at HMP Addiewell on 24 October 2021, Inglis succumbed to a series of medical complications exacerbated by a COVID-19 diagnosis he contracted just twelve days prior.
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Recently, NHS Lothian and the prison management company, Sodexo, admitted to serious failings in the care of Inglis, with the revelations coming forth during proceedings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. The harrowing details unleashed by his texts to family members have starkly illustrated the pain he suffered in those final days of his life.
On 16 October, shortly after falling ill, Inglis reached out to his mother with a distressing message declaring, “This is torture… this is the worst feeling ever I can’t handle much more.” The gravity of his condition escalated quickly; within days, he reported coughing up blood and struggled to walk even short distances without losing his breath. Despite his pleas for medical attention, including messages indicating significant swelling and distress, no medical intervention was provided.
In conversations with his father, Alan, Calum expressed frustration, having repeatedly requested hospitalisation throughout the week prior to his death. His final texts, sent on 22 and 23 October, articulated a stark picture of desperation, with statements like, “I’m completely burning up; it’s scary.”
Calum’s mother, Jen, expressed her anguish upon receiving post-mortem results, detailing horrific findings of blood clots, sepsis, and bacterial infections. For her, the reality of her son’s suffering is a haunting burden that she will carry for life. Alan, emotionally wracked with guilt, lamented the failure of the systems meant to protect his son. “I believed that he would be looked after,” he stated, mourning the loneliness Calum faced in his final hours—a sorrowful reminder that his time in prison became a death sentence rather than a path to rehabilitation.
This heart-wrenching case sheds light on the urgent need for reform within the prison healthcare system, as well as addressing the mental toll it takes on families who trust that their loved ones will receive adequate care while incarcerated.
As society reflects on this heartbreaking tragedy, it serves as a stark indicator of the potential for neglect within institutional frameworks—a call to action for comprehensive change to prevent similar incidents in the future.