A probe has been launched after a Glasgow prisoner was found dead in his Barlinnie cell.

Michael Charlton, 58, died in October 2019 after staff found him in the late afternoon.

Now the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has lodged a First Notice to begin the court process for a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death. 

Mr Charlton was in legal custody and in the care of the state at the time of his death.

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The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is obliged to investigate such deaths, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.  

A Preliminary Hearing will be held next month at Glasgow Sheriff Court.   

The purpose of a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) includes determining the cause of death and the circumstances in which the deaths occurred.

It also establishes if any reasonable precautions could have been taken and implemented in the future.

This is to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.  

Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame.         

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Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said:        

“The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Michael Charlton occurred while in legal custody and as such a Fatal Accident Inquiry is mandatory.        

“The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff.”