Jurors at Pelican Narrows Inquest

Jurors at Pelican Narrows Inquest

Thursday, June 05, 2003 at 15:38

A coroner’s jury looking into the death of a Pelican Narrows woman in an RCMP holding cell last year has made two recommendations.

The inquest into 43-year-old Eileen Sewap’s death was held earlier this week in Pelican Narrows.

Sewap died in May of last year at the Pelican Narrows RCMP detachment following her arrest for public intoxication.

It’s been determined she died of severe degeneration of the liver, but provincial law states an inquest must be held whenever a prisoner dies in a jail, holding cell or correctional facility.

The six-person jury made up of residents of Pelican Narrows has recommended that the guard and RCMP officer on duty should check prisoners in the holding cells every 5 to 10 minutes to make sure everything is OK.

The jury also recommended that before prisoners are placed in holding cells, they should be asked if they require any medication, and if medication is needed, arrangements should be made by holding cell staff to pick up the meds at the prisoners’ home or local clinic.