A convicted heroin dealer was sent to one of Engla

A convicted heroin dealer was sent to one of England’s
newest prisons because he had developed ‘full blown AIDS’, an
inquest heard today Wednesday.

The 40-year-old died in custody after spending the
last year in a private en-suite cell with a blank sheet
of paper for him to choose his daily menu, Southwark Coroners
Court was told.

Gerard Michael Moore, of Dilton Gardens, Putney, was serving
out a four-year prison sentence for drug selling imposed
by Kingston Crown Court on Dec 16 1991.

The jury was told that Mr Moore had been a heroin addict
for 18 years and had developed ‘full blown AIDS’ and was
therefore transferred to Belmarsh Prison in Western Way,
Thamesmead.

Belmarsh was opened last year to take up to 80 prisoners
who need special care.

Coroner Sir Montague Levine praised staff at the prison for
their care and consideration in looking after Mr Moore after
hearing how he had ‘become very frail’ and then died in their
custody.

The jury returned a verdict of death by natural causes
after hearing that his immune system had failed to fight off a
complication of lung viruses.

The Durham-born AIDS victim was often transferred from the
prison to Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital for treatment when
his condition bacame too complicated for prison doctors.

Consultant physician at the hospital, Col.

Sreemivas Rao
told the inquest that this caused problems in the wards because
Mr Moore’s girlfriend had been caught trying to pass him drugs.

He said: ‘He was a very difficult person to handle but at
times he could be chirpy and communicative.

‘His girlfriend said that she loved him very much but found
him difficult too.

‘.

He explained to the jury that the new prison was probably
better for him, while suffering his condition, than the outside
world.

‘It has some of the best medical facilities available and
the staff were very caring.

‘He chose to have his own cell with en-suite bathroom and
each day he was given a blank piece of paper to chose a menu for
the day.

He also had his own television.

‘
Col Rao continued: ‘The viruses that he contracted would
retreat and then come back with a vengeance.

He became very thin
and weak.

‘
Mr Moore, who was born in Durham on July 23, 1952,
died at the military hospital, which treated victims in
the Falklands and Gulf wars, on September 8.

Sir Montague said: ‘He was in a very high risk category
being a drug user.

‘He was a main line drug user which means that he injected
himself direct into the veins.

‘Staff at the prison displayed great humanity in treating
him.

‘No post mortem was carried out because of the danger to
pathologists although one would have been undertaken if it had
not been established that he had AIDS.

ENDS