Robert Stewart is serving a life sentence for the killing

Niall Clifford told an inquiry on Tuesday into the March 2000 murder of Zahid Mubarek that he had done nothing wrong in seeking and taking a higher position in the months surrounding the 19-year-old's death.

Prison service managers, backed by ministers, had asked Mr Clifford to overhaul Feltham Young Offenders' Institution after a series of critical reports.

But Mr Clifford's departure after 13 months was cited in one report as an example of how promotions could damage a prison's prospects.

Mr Clifford, now an area manager, told the public inquiry into Robert Stewart's murder of the teenager, that the Prison Service director had personally asked him to overhaul the west London institution.

Backing in Parliament

Arriving at the jail 11 months before the killing, Mr Clifford told both staff and the independent Board of Visitors monitoring body that he would see in reforms over three years.

Ministers also told Parliament that his appointment would lead to change. However, after 13 months, he left for a more senior post.

NIALL CLIFFORD AT FELTHAM April 1999: Appointed governor June 1999: Parliament discussed jail November 1999: Sought promotion March 2000: Zahid Mubarek murdered May 2000: Left prison, following promotion

Answering questions from Patrick O'Connor QC, for the Zubarek family, Mr Clifford agreed he was "under no illusions" about the seriousness of the posting.

But he denied that his decision to go for promotion further destabilised the institution when it needed strong leadership.

"All I have done [is put] my heart and soul into changing Feltham, which is what I have done in every governorship," he told the inquiry.

"I think that I made a legitimate choice within the circumstances. I am entitled to pursue promotion and I did so."

Mentioned in report

But in a report into prison management published after Zahid Mubarek's murder, Lord Laming cited Mr Clifford's move as one which could damage a prison.

"The governor of Feltham, for example, was promoted to area manager after one year in the post," wrote Lord Laming.

"Staff believed he would be there for three years during which time they believed he would be responsible for implementing much-needed changes.

Zahid Mubarek, 19, was beaten to death by his own cellmate

"This meant that Feltham has had three governors in the last three years.

"The negative effect of such frequent moves is substantial and it was mentioned [in investigations] as the most common reason why a prison fails to succeed."

Mr O'Connor suggested Mr Clifford had placed his career before the interests of the prison and had ultimately misled staff, his superiors and the Board of Visitors.

He had laid foundations of reform, but failed to see them through, suggested Mr O'Connor at the inquiry.

"I think the foundations that you passingly refer to are actually fairly major and I hope proved to be the things that allowed the subsequent governors to build on," replied Mr Clifford.

Mr O'Connor said: "The consequences of you moving on very quickly are much worse in a dramatically failing institution than one that is entirely stable and satisfactory, are they not?"

"They could be. I would suggest they were not as bad as you are trying to paint them," Mr Clifford responded at the ongoing inquiry.