A prison officer accused of threatening inmate Lorenzo Robinson before he hanged himself denied the allegations yesterday, telling an inquest: "I always had a good relationship with Lorenzo. In fact, he used to call me Daddy."

The inquest has heard from various Westgate inmates and prison officers that 28-year-old Mr. Robinson, who was severely mentally ill with schizophrenia and depression, feared being attacked in jail.

In particular, it has been alleged that he feared convicted murders Andre Hypolite and Shannon Tucker wanted to get at him, and asked that his cell door was never opened at the same time as theirs.

Jamiko Bean, a prisoner housed near Robinson in the segregation wing prior to his death, told the inquest earlier this week that a corrections officer known as "Bootsie" threatened Mr. Robinson after he smeared faeces on his cell walls five days before his death and said: "If you keep up this dumb sh*t I am going to allow two of those guys' doors to be open when we open yours."

Yesterday, Principal Officer Vivian Simons gave evidence to the inquest, confirming that his nickname is Bootsie.

He read a Police statement given on September 29 this year, confirming that Mr. Robinson caused "anger" and "unrest" in the unit by flooding his cell and others in the unit at least twice by blocking his toilet.

Mr. Simons, a corrections officer for 27 years, told the inquest he'd told Mr. Robinson not to do it again, but had never made any derogatory comments to him and never heard any. He said he was trying to work with the prisoner's case officer to start up a "buddy system" to support him by bringing in people he could trust to visit him.

Asked by Coroner Khamisi Tokunbo what kind of unrest and anger was expressed on the part of other prisoners when Mr. Robinson flooded the unit, Mr. Simons replied: "They was shouting at him. They were cussing him. 'Stop f*****g well flooding the rooms out'."–However, when he was asked if it ever got "heavier" than that, he replied: "Not while I was there."

Quizzed by the Coroner over claims that he threatened to leave Hypolite and Tucker's doors open so they could get Mr. Robinson, Mr. Simons replied that these were "false Sir". He later added, in response to further questions: "I can't open the doors. I ain't got the keys to open the doors Sir."

Asked why the inmates would say he'd threatened to leave doors open, Officer Simons replied: "Like I said in my statement, me and Lorenzo had a good relationship. He called me Daddy." He added that Mr. Robinson would call on him if he had a problem.

Mr. Robinson was sent to Westgate indefinitely after being acquitted on grounds of insanity of attempting to stab a tourist to death in broad daylight on Front Street. Experts said during his trial in 2004 that he was highly dangerous and required long-term detention and treatment in a secure forensic psychiatric facility, which Bermuda does not have.

Mr. Robinson also obtained a ruling from Chief Justice Richard Ground four months before his death that his condition required him to be treated in such a unit, and that a designated "hospital cell" he was being kept in at Westgate was no such thing.

The Chief Justice asked for Mr. Robinson's care to be reconsidered including the possibility of sending him overseas. However, he remained in Westgate until he died on July 13 last year, when he was housed in an ordinary cell in the segregation unit. This was not a hospital cell, and he was not on suicide watch which meant he would have 15-minute checks and no access to bedclothes despite having made multiple prior attempts on his own life in Westgate.

He was found naked and hanging from a noose made of torn-up bed sheets late on the night of July 13 2008. He had suspended the noose from the ceiling by wedging it into the ceiling grooves using batteries which were a forbidden item in the segregation unit and his hands were bound behind his back.

Saul Froomkin QC, who represents Mr. Robinson's mother, Dedonda Grant, questioned Mr. Simons yesterday over whether given his close relationship with the prisoner he was aware that he'd attempted suicide more than once in Westgate. The witness replied that he was only aware of one suicide attempt. He could not answer why Mr. Robinson was not on suicide watch, and why he was not being kept in a cell used for such inmates, which has 24-hour CCTV camera monitoring.

Another inmate child killer Ze Selassie was in the cell at the time for his own protection, but was not on suicide watch.

The inquest also heard yesterday from the officer who investigated the case, Detective Constable Derek Berry. He explained that Mr. Robinson's hands were bound behind his back by means of loops which had been tightened, not tied with knots something a person can do on their own.

Asked by the Coroner if his investigation disclosed any evidence of a criminal act by any other person in connection to Mr. Robinson's death, he replied: "No, the file was passed to my supervisor as well as to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for their examination and no criminal matters arose from this case."

He was the last witness in the inquest, which is being heard by a jury, and the verdict is expected today.