AN inquest has heard how a police detention officer was delayed distributing lunches when he should have been checking on a pregnant woman in a cell.

Richard Eastwood told the inquest at Bradford Coroner’s Court that he was in the male cell block at “the furthest corner” of the custody suite within Trafalgar House, Bradford’s main police station on Nelson Street, when an alarm sounded.

He told the inquest that he swore and realised, “I’ve gone over my time.”

The inquest is concerned with the death of mother-of-seven Claire Harper, who was found unresponsive in her cell at 12.26pm on January 7, 2018.

The 41-year-old, who was subject to observation checks every 30 minutes, was given CPR and taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary where her death was confirmed at 1.41pm.

The inquest previously heard that Ms Harper was last checked at 11.36am, 50 minutes before she was discovered lying on the floor of her cell.

Asked if he had had any concerns about Ms Harper during his morning observations Mr Eastwood replied: “None whatsoever” and added: “She was fine to be left alone without being woken.”

Mr Eastwood described how he had been told to make his cell visits “irregular” so that detainees did not get used to the officers’ shift pattern and that he would make two observation checks within two half-hour periods.

The inquest heard that 50 minutes elapsed between the final check on Ms Harper and officers finding her unresponsive. It also heard that there was a 48-minute gap between checks from 8.07am and 8.55am.

Mr Eastwood said January 7 had been “unusually hot” and that 27 of the 32 cells in the custody suite were occupied, which made it “quite a challenge” to get round everybody as the building was near capacity.

He said the decision by many male detainees to accept a meal at lunch created “a perfect storm”.

He made a three-to-four-second check on Ms Harper between 11.30am and 11.40am and saw her lying on her back on the cell floor beneath a blanket with her eyes closed.

He said: “I took it that she was trying to cool down because it was really hot in the cells.

“She seemed to me to be asleep. I believe I observed her breathing.”

That check was described as “inadequate” by a solicitor representing Ms Harper’s family.

Mr Eastwood continued his observations but admitted “I just lost track of time” when distributing more meals than usual despite knowing that checks were “paramount”.

He said he was reluctant to ask custody sergeant Claudine Binns for assistance as there had been issues between them but said there was another sergeant he could have approached.

He said: “I could have asked for help. I wish I had.”

The inquest continues.