Man accused of murdering wife and children committed suicide in prison days before trial – The Irish Times

A man accused of murdering his wife and two children committed suicide in prison shortly before his trial.

Sameer Syed (39), of Grosvenor Lodge, Rathmines, Dublin 6, was found dead in Midlands Prison on 9 June 2022, according to a report from the Office of the Inspector of Prisons, which advises prison officers to be alert to the presence of non-standard items in cells that could be used for self-harm.

Mr Syed's death came six days before his trial for the murder of Seema Banu, 37, Asfira Riza, 11, and Faizan Syed, 6, at their home in Llewellyn Court, Rathfarnham. Their bodies were discovered after neighbours contacted police after not seeing them for several days.

The inquest into Mr Syed's death heard that when he met with an independent psychologist on the day of his death, he denied any thoughts of self-harm. After the meeting, he returned to his hall, got a meal and went to the cell he shared with another prisoner.

The other prisoner left the cell to go to an outside courtyard while Mr Syed remained locked in. When the cellmate returned about an hour later, he found Mr Syed and alerted prison officials.

The anonymised report notes that prison staff made desperate attempts to revive Mr Syed, using CPR and a defibrillator, but less than an hour later a doctor pronounced him dead.

In an interview with the inspector the following day, Mr Syed's cellmate described him as “easy-going” and said they had watched television earlier in the day. He said Mr Syed had been in a good mood and made funny comments about the programmes they were watching.

In one of his three recommendations, the inspector said prison guards should pay particular attention to the presence of named non-standard items that Mr Syed had used to commit suicide.

“If such items are discovered, they should be confiscated immediately and a clear written record of their seizure should be kept, indicating the cell location and the name of the prisoner in question,” the report said, adding that Syed's father told a lawyer he did not believe his son had harmed himself.