My son Gareth came round for dinner on Wednesday, was arrested on Thursday, taken to Pentonville prison on Friday and died on Monday. Gareth was handed a death sentence without even having been found guilty.
Me and my daughter Francessca, Gareth’s sister, have been broken by his death and nothing will ever be the same again.
Gareth was a very important and vital part of our three-unit family. We are completely broken without him; he was my only son and Francessca's only sibling. His presence, smile and chatter lit up the room and our lives. He was so full of life and always on the go. He can never be replaced.
Gareth faced lots of challenges in his life, with issues with his physical health since he was a baby, and a long history of self-harm and suicide attempts, and issues with addiction.
Despite this, Gareth never stopped talking, was always going out of his way to help people and had this smile and so much energy. He has three children who he loved so much and cared for deeply. He had so much to live for.
The suffering my son went through in only four days at HMP Pentonville and the way he died is not something I will ever get over. I feel that his human rights were breached every step of the way.
Gareth’s history of self-harm and suicide attempts were clearly visible on his records, and it should have immediately been obvious to the prison and healthcare that he was seriously at risk. Instead, the prison didn’t even allow Gareth a phone call to contact his family on his first night.
Pentonville didn’t care for my son in life, or in death. The prison didn’t even notify me when Gareth died, and I had to find out about his death from a friend of a friend. I said goodbye to him in a mortuary. No mother should have to see her child in this way.
We are in 2026 and the UK is one of the leading western countries in the world, yet prisons such as Pentonville are antiquated and stuck in the Victorian age. No human being should be imprisoned with mice and cockroaches, and without even simple things like curtains to shut out sunlight.
Since Gareth’s death, there have been several more self-inflicted deaths in HMP Pentonville. Every time I hear that someone else has suffered the way Gareth did, it’s a big kick in my face. These deaths must stop.
Pentonville prison must be closed down so that no one else has to go through what Gareth and our family went through.
Gareth Chumber-Kelly
My son Gareth came round for dinner on Wednesday, was arrested on Thursday, taken to Pentonville prison on Friday and died on Monday. Gareth was handed a death sentence without even having been found guilty.
Me and my daughter Francessca, Gareth’s sister, have been broken by his death and nothing will ever be the same again.
Gareth was a very important and vital part of our three-unit family. We are completely broken without him; he was my only son and Francessca's only sibling. His presence, smile and chatter lit up the room and our lives. He was so full of life and always on the go. He can never be replaced.
Gareth faced lots of challenges in his life, with issues with his physical health since he was a baby, and a long history of self-harm and suicide attempts, and issues with addiction.
Despite this, Gareth never stopped talking, was always going out of his way to help people and had this smile and so much energy. He has three children who he loved so much and cared for deeply. He had so much to live for.
The suffering my son went through in only four days at HMP Pentonville and the way he died is not something I will ever get over. I feel that his human rights were breached every step of the way.
Gareth’s history of self-harm and suicide attempts were clearly visible on his records, and it should have immediately been obvious to the prison and healthcare that he was seriously at risk. Instead, the prison didn’t even allow Gareth a phone call to contact his family on his first night.
Pentonville didn’t care for my son in life, or in death. The prison didn’t even notify me when Gareth died, and I had to find out about his death from a friend of a friend. I said goodbye to him in a mortuary. No mother should have to see her child in this way.
We are in 2026 and the UK is one of the leading western countries in the world, yet prisons such as Pentonville are antiquated and stuck in the Victorian age. No human being should be imprisoned with mice and cockroaches, and without even simple things like curtains to shut out sunlight.
Since Gareth’s death, there have been several more self-inflicted deaths in HMP Pentonville. Every time I hear that someone else has suffered the way Gareth did, it’s a big kick in my face. These deaths must stop.
Pentonville prison must be closed down so that no one else has to go through what Gareth and our family went through.
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