THE last person to see a suspect alive before he was found hanged in a police cell has described how he was joking and acting "like he was on the beach".

Brenda Blood said she had no concerns about Craig Boyd when she checked his cell at 1am – three hours before his body was found.

The matron, who carried out the duties of a custody suite officer, told jurors at Mr Boyd's inquest that she had been laughing with him about her age, among other things.

When she last checked on him, he had taken his top off and was kicking his legs in the air, Mrs Blood said.

She was giving evidence yesterday at an inquest being held at Pride Park into the 32-year-old's death.

His body was found in a cell at St Mary's Wharf station in the early hours of March 16, 2004.

Mrs Blood said: "The most important thing to Craig was the food – I said 'do you want the normal service then, breakfast in bed?'

"He said 'you trolley dollies' – he was talking about me always giving him a good service."

Derby Coroner Dr Robert Hunter asked: "How did he appear to you?"

The matron replied: "Normal, co-operative and chatty."

Talking about her final check at 1am, Mrs Blood said: "He had taken his shirt off, it did not alarm me. He was sitting on his tummy, waving his legs in the air.

"It just made me chuckle. It was like he was on the beach."

Mr Boyd was not checked again until 4am, when he was found hanged.

Speaking about her role at the station, Mrs Blood said she would do "anything the custody sergeant requested that wasn't dangerous".

Her tasks included answering the telephone, feeding prisoners, taking them to their cells and checking on them – but not body searches or carrying out breath tests.

But she also said that, despite being a matron for three years, she never received any formal training.

Three times her scheduled training – offered during annual appraisals – was cancelled.

"At the end of the interview they always suggested that I should go on a custody training course, but it was cancelled three times due to a shortage of staff," she said.

Brian Cassidy, a former inspector in the custody suite, previously told the inquest he was met "with a brick wall" after sending e-mails about low staffing levels to his superiors.

Mr Boyd, who was wanted on suspicion of assault and twice failing to turn up at court, had given himself up at the house of a former girlfriend, in Normanton, the night before his death.

The father-of-one was pronounced dead at the police station and the cause was given as hanging. He was found with a red shoelace around his neck.

The inquest continues.