Calls for a specialised psychiatric unit in Bermuda to treat the criminally insane were renewed in the aftermath of the Lorenzo Robinson inquest yesterday.

Mr. Robinson was being illegally kept in a segregation cell at Westgate instead of in a secure hospital when he hanged himself last July.

The 28-year-old was not on suicide watch despite previous attempts on his own life.

He had been battling for six years to secure the specialist treatment that experts said he needed, having been incarcerated in Westgate after stabbing an American tourist in the back with a six-inch blade on Front Street in 2002.

Robinson claimed to have acted after hearing the voice of Osama bin Laden, and was acquitted of attempted murder in October 2004 on the grounds that he was criminally insane. The jury was told that no suitable psychiatric facility was available to house him in Bermuda.

Three years later, after waiting in vain for such a specialist unit to be established, he appealed to Chief Justice Richard Ground. The top judge agreed he needed specialist care, but said this was a political decision in which he could not interfere.

Four months later, Mr. Robinson took his own life.

His mother, Dedona Grant, told The Royal Gazette after the inquest verdict: "It was denied by Government. That's all I know. It p****s me off because it could have been done. They could have the facilities (in Bermuda) but they don't have them."

Ms Grant said she was "shocked" that her son had access in his cell to the materials he used to kill himself making a noose from a sheet then wedging it into a ceiling groove using a battery which was an illegal item in the segregation unit.

After the inquest jury concluded yesterday that Mr. Robinson committed suicide, Coroner Khamisi Tokunbo announced he will write a report into the case for the relevant authorities, in the hope of preventing similar deaths in future. However, he has yet to say whether his recommendations will be made public.

Lawyer Elizabeth Christopher, who represented Mr. Robinson during his fight for appropriate treatment said: "I'm hopeful that this inquest will maintain their focus where it should be, which is to prevent something like this from ever happening again by ensuring those who are mentally ill are not incarcerated and forgotten.

"Lorenzo should have been in a hospital. It's really that uncomplicated. There are other people currently incarcerated who really need to be dealt with in hospitals. Even the most well-intentioned prison officer is not equipped to deal with a prisoner like Lorenzo."

Ms Christopher added that prison officers should also be given specialist training so they can better deal with prisoners who have less serious psychiatric issues, but who still prevent challenges when incarcerated. At present, she said, such inmates are often viewed as "acting up" or "putting it on" when they need help not punishment.

Although she welcomed the fact that the inquest has been held and Mr. Tokunbo plans to file a report, Ms Christopher believes that a wider public inquiry into all the issues raised by the case would be beneficial to explore what policy changes might be needed.

Llewellyn Peniston, another lawyer who once represented Mr. Robinson, said: "It may well be that a system ought to be in place so as to avoid a repeat of this dreadful experience where a young man's life was lost in circumstances where there could have been an alternative and proper facility available.

"I think that the recommendations that will come forward, whether publicly or otherwise, will be such that the authorities will not risk a repetition of this."

And Shadow Minister of Public Safety Michael Dunkley said of the issue of establishing a forensic psychiatric unit: "I would hope the authorities will continue to look at it. We're a small Island but we need to make sure we have the facilities. We had the warning signals and we put the prison authorities in a difficult position."

Government House declined to comment on the case, and Acting Minister of Public Safety Walter Roban could not be reached for comment.