Matthew O'Hara

Dublin-born Matthew O'Hara, 41, was a White writer and advocate for the rights of mental health patients in Hackney in east London.

Matthew, who was diabetic, was sentenced to seven days in Pentonville Prison for contempt of court. In prison, he never received his prescribed insulin.

Matthew said he was assaulted by prison officers and then given no medical attention for two days, despite being seriously ill. He was later rushed to hospital in a critical condition and with a stomach injury.

He later discharged himself and sought medical care at Hackney Hospital instead. Matthew never fully recovered, and he was found dead in his home in June 1980.

His friends, MP and doctor formed the Matthew O'Hara Committee to demand answers from the Home Office. The group campaigned for an inquiry into Matthew’s death, about the prison medical service and about mental health legal injustices.

The Home Office denied the allegation that Matthew was assaulted by a prison officer and claimed that he was 'mentally unbalanced'. Due to the decomposed state of his body, the post-mortem did not determine a cause of death and the inquest returned an open verdict.