A FORMER prison officer has denied provoking a prisoner into assaulting him so he could retire early.

Stephen Brownley said he was unaware of suggestions he was going to 'engineer' an assault by Bernard Lodge until he heard it an inquiry into Mr Lodge's death.

Father-of-two Mr Lodge, from Miles Platting, who was serving five months for shoplifting, was involved in a violent struggle with Mr Brownley, who had escorted him to a hospital.

Mr Lodge, 28, was found hanged in his cell at Strangeways prison two months later.

He had been due to be released on the day he died, but was kept behind bars as he had been accused of assaulting Mr Brownley. He had earlier written to relatives claiming he was being bullied by staff.

At the fourth day of an inquiry into Mr Lodge's death 10 years ago, Stephen Brownley, now living in Spain, described escorting Mr Lodge in a taxi to Whiston Hospital, Cheshire, for treatment to his arms after Mr Lodge cut himself during an act of self-harm.

Mr Brownley told the hearing at Manchester Civil Justice Centre that the atmosphere had been `fine' until the taxi arrived at Whiston.

He said Mr Lodge, who he said had not been handcuffed, tried to walk off towards hospital reception unescorted. Mr Lodge was `getting upset for some reason', said Mr Brownley, who described how he followed him to the toilet and jammed his foot in a cubicle door before it could be shut.

Mr Brownley told the hearing how Mr Lodge pushed the door and the pair, along with a second prison officer, ended up struggling on the floor before Mr Lodge was handcuffed and the police called.

Mr Brownley said: "It was quite a violent struggle. There were arms and legs flying everywhere."

He could not recall a conversation with his governor at Risley prison, where Mr Lodge was being held before his transfer to Strangeways, about `rumours' he was to engineer an assault.

'Rumours'

He insisted he had known nothing about the suggestion until he received paperwork from the inquiry. Asked if he had tried to engineer an assault, he replied: "No."

Mr Brownley suffered a dislocated thumb in a later incident with a prisoner and retired on medical grounds, aged 34, the hearing was told.

He admitted he had been disciplined for assaulting a prisoner in 1995.

Mr Brownley denied being turned down for a transfer from Risley to HMP Manchester,

When Mr Brownley was shown a memo from the director of personnel at Manchester which said he had twice been interviewed about a transfer, he said: "I must have done obviously. Why would I lie?

"I don't remember the interview. Maybe it was a telephone call after I was sick. Maybe I did. It was such a long time ago."

The hearing is due to resume on Friday.