Mentally ill prisoner Lorenzo Robinson was on suicide watch when he hanged himself, but not in a cell monitored by camera.

The news was revealed by Robinson's lawyer Llewellyn Peniston yesterday, along with information from prison sources that Robinson told a guard just days before his death "that he should not worry, he was not going to be here much longer."

The lawyer said: "Immediately following that expression, it ought to have at least signalled some concern and as a last resort they should have placed him on a monitoring system like the camera room. He should have been monitored for suicide."

Robinson, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and depression, was sent to Westgate indefinitely after being acquitted on grounds of insanity of attempting to stab a tourist to death.

Experts said at the time of his trial in 2004 that he was highly dangerous and required long-term detention and treatment in a secure psychiatric facility. There is no such unit at Westgate. Bermuda's only mental hospital, the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, said it did not have a secure unit suitable for the long term detention of such a high-risk patient.

Robinson was found hanged in his cell at Westgate on July 13.

According to his former lawyer Narinder Dosanjh last week, he was being kept illegally in a segregation cell in the punishment block at the time of his death instead of a "hospital cell" designated under the Mental Health Act .

Ms Dosanjh further alleged that the hospital cell was only a hospital in name, and Robinson's entire detention at Westgate was a breach of his human rights.

Fresh details emerged yesterday from Mr. Peniston, who said prison sources told him that although one of the segregation cells is monitored by camera, and its inmates are denied bedclothes, Robinson was in a regular segregation cell with bedding. He used a sheet to hang himself.

Mr. Peniston said he also understands that Robinson was on suicide watch at the time of his death.

"He did mutter the expression that one should not worry; he was not going to be here much longer, to a prison guard a few days before his death," Mr Peniston.

Further details have also emerged over how he achieved this.

"There was a battery that he managed to wedge in the space in the ceiling – that's usually an accessory persons use for stringing up a rope for exercise while they're in their cells," he claimed. Robinson reportedly wrapped the sheet around the battery in order to hang it as a noose.The lawyer went on to hit out at MWI for refusing to treat Robinson on site, instead of sending psychiatrists to visit him in Westgate."There are others wandering the streets, but for the doors of MWIbeing slammed in their faces, who present threats not only to themselves but to unsuspecting individuals in the streets. One must ask what those psychiatrists are more interested in; vacation or doing what taxpayers are expecting from them? That's my serious view," he said."It seems to me that the mission statement of MWI is to keep mentally challenged people on the streets as opposed to being properly incarcerated in that facility where they can receive hands-on treatment."Mr. Peniston called on Government "to get its priorities right" when it comes to mental health care for prisoners."The argument that there's insufficiency of space at MWI is nonsense. When one looks at the size of Government's annual budget there's no reason why they could not engage a contractor to build six to eight rooms onto MWI, secure rooms for the purpose of treating patients on an interim basis as evidenced by the needs of individuals like Lorenzo," he said.Mr. Peniston claimed he had to challenge senior staff at the hospital over a previous case, when they refused to take in a client suffering from bipolar disorder to the extent that he was a danger to himself and others.He eventually secured a court order under the Mental Health Act, but said:"One should not have to fight these sorts of battles."The authorities have remained tight-lipped over the Robinson case, despite calls from Mr. Peniston and others for a public inquiry. The Ministry of Health declined to comment on his remarks yesterday, citing an ongoing investigation into the case, and a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Safety did not respond to messages. A spokesperson for the Bermuda Hospitals Board stated: "MWI does what is in the best interests of patient care and safety. The goal of care at MWI, in keeping with international best practice standards, is integrating clients back into the community, where it is appropriate, so they may become functioning and contributing members of society."MWI currently provides quality care up to a certain level of acuity and is not equipped to provide care for patients whose psychiatric needs exceed this acuity and may be a risk to themselves and others. This higher level of service requires a specialist unit and specialist staff, which is not available at MWI."MWI has not been asked to provide this higher level of mental health service and the decision to build an additional secure facility at MWI to treat these types of patients would be made by Government."