The girlfriend of a man who hanged himself in prison had warned guards he could commit suicide, an inquest heard.

Scott Marriott-Saddler, of Carshalton, had threatened to kill himself after learning he was being moved 150 miles away from High Down Prison, in Banstead, to a youth offenders’ centre in Norwich.

Mr Marriott-Saddler, who had a history of self-harm, had been jailed for eight months, in April 2008, for intimidating a witness connected to another case.

He had served only a month when he hanged himself on May 13 in his single cell using a torn piece of bedsheet.

The 20-year-old’s worried girlfriend and mother of his young son, Dionne Bryan, had spoken to him several times on the day he died and had become increasingly concerned that he might do something “extreme”.

Miss Bryan said: “I rang the prison to say Scott was going to do something serious to himself. The officer said he was put on an ACT or something. They said it was basically suicide watch and I was assured he would be checked on.”

Oliver Sanders, representing the prison service, asked Miss Bryan whether she was telling the truth about her alleged conversations with High Down.

She insisted she had spoken to the guards at the gate, on the evening of May 13, who had connected her to officers in another part of the prison.

The jury, sitting at Woking Coroners’ Court, heard a recording of the conversations between Miss Bryan and her boyfriend on the day he died.

Mr Marriott-Saddler, heard during the recording, said: “The only thing keeping me going is knowing you [Miss Bryan and his children] are just down the road. I’m just starting to settle down and make friends. I’m fuming.”

Anne Jackson, of the Independent Monitoring Board, said she was “greatly concerned” about the provision for young offenders in adult prisons.

She said: “They are not treated any different to adult prisoners, they are homogenised. It’s not just High Down, there is no system in place for young offenders.”

The inquest, which is expected to last 10 days, continues.