The Bermuda Government could follow UK precedent and hold an inquiry into the death of inmate Steven ‘Pepe' Dill after Law Lords in London ruled on Thursday that a probe should be held into a similar case in Britain.

An independent inquiry will be held into the death of an Asian teenager who was killed by his racist cellmate in March, 2000.

The case is bears a certain similarity with the tragic death Mr. Dill, who died while in prison custody in December, 2001. An inquest into Mr. Dill's death ruled on Friday that the 41-year-old Prison Farm inmate suffered a fatal lack of medical attention, despite complaining for nearly eight hours that he was suffering an asthma attack and needed medical attention.

Mr. Dill's family on Friday demanded an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death.

In London meanwhile, Law Lords ruled on Thursday that Home Secretary David Blunkett had been wrong in refusing to order an inquiry into Zahid Mubarek's death.

The 19-year-old's family took their case to the House of Lords to find out why the first time offender, who was sentenced to three months for theft, had been forced to share a cell in a young offenders institute with violent criminal Robert Stewart.

Stewart, who was later diagnosed as a psychopath, wrote racist letters to friends and hung a Ku Klux Klan sign on his cell notice board.

He bludgeoned Mr. Mubarek to death on the day the teenager was due to be released.

A High Court Judge ruled in September 2001 that Mr. Blunkett had been wrong to refuse to sanction a public inquiry into the killing.

But the ruling was then overturned by the Court of Appeal in March of last year, after judges said it had been established that the prison service was at fault, an inquest had been held and Stewart had been convicted of murder.

They said there was no basis for prosecuting any member of the prison service.

But, on Thursday this week, Lords Bingham, Slynn, Steyn, Hope and Hutton said they did not accept the argument from the Home Secretary that a further inquiry was unlikely to unearth new and significant facts.

They ruled that the state was under a particular duty, not only to ensure that a prisoner's right to life was protected, but also to publicly investigate the death of an inmate due to prison system failures.

“Those who have lost their relative may at least have the satisfaction of knowing that lessons learned from his death may save the lives of others,” said Lord Bingham.

And the Mubarek family lawyer said: “This case is a wake-up call for the prison service, just as the Lawrence murder was a wake up call for the Police.

“The family is entitled to know why the prison service failed Zahid.”