A prison was cleared of neglect after a man on suicide watch hanged himself.

Charles Wolfe, 29, a heroin addict charged with killing a pensioner during the attempted robbery of a Billingshurst post office, was found hanging from window bars in a cell at Lewes Prison.

He was facing trial for the manslaughter of 69-year-old Margaret Hopkins, who died after being knocked to the ground during the robbery.

Mrs Hopkins, of West Street, Billingshurst, was collecting her pension when unemployed Wolfe burst in brandishing a knife and demanded cash.

He was jailed after pleading guilty to attempted robbery in February last year.

An inquest at Lewes Magistrates Court was told prison guards failed to check on Wolfe for at least 25 minutes, even though they were supposed to look in on him at least twice every half hour after he was put on intermittent suicide watch.

The court heard Wolfe was a schizophrenic with suicidal tendencies and prone to aggressive outbursts.

He flew into a rage on February 24, 2002, when he discovered his girlfriend would not be visiting him that morning.

He punched a piece of perspex hanging from the wall and had to be calmed down by guards before being led back to his cell.

Wolfe, of Bishop Lane, Henfield, later tied a bedsheet around his neck and hanged himself.

Paramedics brought him round but he died the next day at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Senior coroner Alan Craze recorded a verdict of suicide.

He had previously ruled out a verdict of suicide contributed to by neglect, although he highlighted some of the prison's failures in dealing with potential suicide cases.

He said there needed to be better systems for carrying out risk assessments and ensuring those on suicide watch were properly observed.

He said: "Although I feel sympathy for Mr Wolfe's family in this case, I had to direct the jury not to return a verdict of neglect.

"However, I will be writing to the director general of the Prison Service so he might take action over some of these problems."