The family of a man who was found hanged in his cell at Bullingdon Prison is to stage a protest over his death.

Danny Rooney was found dead at the Bicester jail less than 48 hours before he was to be sentenced for burglary on September 26 - the day before his 39th birthday.

The father-of-eight, from Hollow Way in Oxford, was part of the travelling community and had been on remand for burglary since September 11. He was found dead in his cell by prison staff.

Mr Rooney, who also went by the name John Hughes, was the second person to be found hanged at Bullingdon in the space of a week.

An inquest into his death has been opened and adjourned.

But his family, including wife Ann, do not believe he was the sort of person to kill himself and have questioned the way the prison monitored him in his last days.

They will be staging their protest at the prison at noon tomorrow in a bid to find out what happened to him.

Mrs Rooney, who has called for a public inquiry into her husband's death, said: "The family is very shocked. We want to get justice and find out what happened.

"He would not have taken his own life. The prison is saying all different stories and telling us nothing.

"First they said they found him in his cell trying to hang himself. If they found him in danger why not put him in hospital?

"They moved him to another cell - a 'safety cell' - but the first one was safer as in the second one they left him for 46 minutes before they went in to check, and he was dead. It doesn't make sense."

Mr Rooney's sister, Margaret McCann, who lives in Hertfordshire, said the family wanted answers: "People are coming up with all different stories. We just want to know what happened.

"The whole family is devastated. There is no way my brother would harm himself, he was Roman Catholic."

Joe Jones, spokesman for International Gypsy and Traveller Affairs, said: "Reports coming out of the prison are conflicting.

"You are talking about a man who was supposedly on suicide watch.

He added: "At the end of the day, he was not monitored."

Joanna Jacobson, a Home Office spokeswoman, confirmed that the cause of Mr Rooney's death appeared to be hanging.

She added: "Prison staff and paramedics attempted to resuscitate Mr Rooney, but he was pronounced dead at 9.16pm."

The Prison and Probation Ombudsman is carrying out an inquiry, as with all deaths in custody. But Miss Jacobson said: "Because of the ongoing inquiry we can't comment at this time."

She added that she could not confirm whether or not Mr Rooney had been on suicide watch at the time of his death.

Bullingdon's governor Phil Taylor said: "Any death in custody is a tragedy.

"Our sincere condolences and sympathies are with Mr Rooney's family at this time."