Wales' only privately-run prison has been accused of "horse-trading" prisoners after a former inmate and known suicide risk hanged himself after being transferred.

Neil Dudley, 27, from Pontllanfraith in south east Wales hanged himself by his shoelaces at Gloucester Prison last September just hours after being transferred from Parc Prison near Bridgend.

The inquest heard that Dudley was a known suicide risk who needed counselling and special care - but Gloucester prison officials claimed they were not told of his problems before he arrived.

At the inquest, Gloucester governor Carol Hay said she would not have accepted Dudley from Parc Prison if she had been told he had a long history of self-harm and suicide bids - including one just days before he arrived.

Suicide

The inquest jury was told that Parc Prison had tried to get Dudley accepted by Winchester Prison which has specialist counsellors and round-the- clock observation procedures.

But instead Winchester struck a bargain which involved transferring another prisoner to Parc in return for Dudley being sent to Gloucester.

Returning a suicide verdict the inquest jury condemned the "horse trading" in prisoners.

The jury foreman said "The way prisoners are transferred from one prison to another is woefully short of efficient, really.

'Chaotic'

"We felt that the prison in Winchester and Parc Prison in Wales were almost horse trading prisoners and poor old Gloucester ended up on the receiving end."

Coroner David Gibbons said "You may feel that at their best procedures for the transfer of prisoners are sloppy.

"At their worst, you may think they are chaotic."

After the inquest, Neil Dudley's father Melvyn Dudley said he believes that if his son had gone to Winchester Prison he would still be alive.