Inquest into the Death of William John DAVIS

37y · Male·Subarachnoid haemorrhage due to ruptured berry aneurysm of the right middle cerebral artery

A 37-year-old male prisoner with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome died from subarachnoid haemorrhage due to a ruptured berry aneurysm at Karnet Prison Farm. He collapsed suddenly while appearing well minutes earlier. The coroner found the cause was natural—a spontaneous aneurysm rupture. While intracranial aneurysms occur in 0.4-6% of the general population and may be more common in vascular EDS, there is no medical consensus supporting routine screening of asymptomatic patients, and any corrective surgery carries significant risk. The prison provided reasonable supervision, appropriate mental health management (the deceased had a history of self-harm and depression), and regular medical review including specialist consultations. The death was not preventable; it resulted from an unpredictable acute neurological event in an otherwise stable prisoner receiving comprehensive care.