A CONVICTED rapist was found dead in a cell at Prestwich Hospital after he was allegedly involved in a violent struggle with nursing staff.

Now a police investigation has been launched into the death of Azrar Ayub who had been detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act since June 2000 after raping a 21-year-old woman in Oldham.

His body, alleged to have been badly bruised, was found in a room in the hospital's high security Edenfield Unit on Friday night (May 28).

It is believed Mr Ayab, a diagnosed schizophrenic, had to be restrained by a number of psychiatric nursing staff when he became violent and was injected with a sedative before being detained in isolation.

However, when staff returned to check on him, they discovered the 24-year-old collapsed on the floor and efforts to revive him proved futile.

His brother Sarfraz, also from Oldham, visited the Edenfield unit shortly after 8pm on Friday but was refused entry because Mr Ayub was ill.

At midnight he received a message on his mobile phone to contact the hospital and was informed his brother had been pronounced dead at 10pm.

Sarfraz (26) said: "Why wasn't I allowed to see him? He was still alive when I was at the hospital and they wouldn't let me see him."

"I was shocked when I saw his body, he was really badly bruised. Something has gone wrong somewhere and we can't bring him back.

"We just want some answers, we want an inquiry. I do not think anyone is taking it seriously, no one is telling us anything."

A postmortem was carried out this week on Mr Ayub to establish how he died. The results have yet to be released.

Detectives from Bury and Whitefield CID have been asked to investigate the tragic death by the local coroner's department.

Detective Inspector Bill Beddows, who is leading the inquiry, told the Guide: "All deaths that occur in Home Office establishments, whether they are secure hospitals, prisons or police stations, are investigated as a matter of routine.

"At this stage of our inquiry, I can only confirm that nine staff on duty on the night of Mr Ayub's death have been interviewed and we are waiting to speak to several more."

In November 2000, Mr Ayub was ordered to be detained under the Mental Health Act by Judge John Burke QC after admitting the rape of a young woman in the middle of a field in Oldham, although he claimed the victim had consented to sex before changing her mind halfway through.

Before his illness, Mr Ayub had been a youth worker and had worked at a nursery. He was one of five brothers and had five sisters.

The Health and Safety Executive has been informed of the death and an inquest is expected to open next week.

A spokeswoman from the Bolton, Salford and Trafford Mental Health Service NHS Trust, which runs Prestwich Hospital, would only confirm a patient in their care had died and it was assisting the police with their inquiries.