Source · Deaths in custody
PPO Fatal Incident Reports
6,395 incidents
5,660 published
1,165 recommendations
1,632 self-inflicted
3,362 natural causes
Deaths in custody investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. 26% of deaths are self-inflicted. Source: PPO.
Top recommendation themes
Learning & thematic publications
| Title | Type | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PPO response to JSC Inquiry into Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate | Consultation response | Jun 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 21: Segregation | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 22: Self-inflicted deaths in reception prisons | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 20: Epilepsy | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Nov 2025 | |
| Annual Report 2024 to 2025 | Annual report | Jul 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Handling of prisoners’ property | Policy into Practice | Mar 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Handling of property complaints | Policy into Practice | Mar 2025 | |
| Complaints Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 11: Property complaints | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2025 | |
| PPO response to JSC Tackling Drugs in Prison Inquiry | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| PPO response to JHAC Inquiry into Prison Culture | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| PPO response to JSC inquiry into Rehabilitation and Resettlement | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Emergency Response | Policy into Practice | Jan 2025 | |
| PPO response to the Independent Sentencing Review 2024/25 call for evidence | Consultation response | Jan 2025 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 19: Post-release death investigations 2 | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jul 2024 | |
| Annual Report 2023-24 | Annual report | Jul 2024 | |
| Annual report 2022-23 | Annual report | Jul 2024 | |
| Policy into practice: Use of force | Policy into Practice | Feb 2024 | |
| PPO response to the inquiry into prison population and capacity | Consultation response | Nov 2023 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 18: Self-inflicted deaths of IPP prisoners | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Sep 2023 | |
| Investigating deaths after release from prison – a pilot evaluation | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jan 2023 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 17: Post-release death investigations | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jan 2023 | |
| PPO response to the inquiry into the Prison Operational Workforce | Consultation response | Jan 2023 | |
| Annual Report 2021-22 | Annual report | Oct 2022 | |
| Policy into Practice: Use of restraints on escort | Policy into Practice | Sep 2022 | |
| PPO Response to the Inquiry into IPP sentences | Consultation response | Jan 2022 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 16: Second wave COVID-19 related deaths | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Dec 2021 | |
| Annual Report 2020-21 | Annual report | Sep 2021 | |
| PPO responses to the Inquiry into Women in Prison | Consultation response | Aug 2021 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 15: COVID-19 PPO fatal incident investigations | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Feb 2021 | |
| Complaints Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 10: COVID-19 PPO Complaints | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Dec 2020 |
Incidents
| Name | Establishment | Cause | Status | Date of death | Recs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John North | HMP Northumberland | Natural | Published | 7 Aug 2024 | — |
| Mohammed Akhtar | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | 6 Aug 2024 | — |
| Toni Campbell | HMP Bronzefield | Other | Published | 6 Aug 2024 | 1 |
| Gordon Weis | HMP The Verne | Natural | Published | 5 Aug 2024 | — |
| Colin Harding | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | 3 Aug 2024 | 2 |
| Martin Cumiskey | HMP/YOI Doncaster | Natural | Published | 1 Aug 2024 | — |
| Sonia Little | HMP/YOI Low Newton | Other | Published | 1 Aug 2024 | — |
| Jeffrey Ford | HMP Littlehey | Natural | Published | 31 Jul 2024 | — |
| Bahman Razvani | HMP Wakefield | Self-inflicted | Published | 31 Jul 2024 | — |
| William Moore | HMP Rye Hill | Natural | Published | 29 Jul 2024 | — |
| David Evans | HMP Fosse Way | Natural | Published | 26 Jul 2024 | 2 |
| Patrick Whiting | Fleming House Approved Premises | Natural | Published | 26 Jul 2024 | 1 |
| Phillip Sheridan | HMP Full Sutton | Natural | Published | 21 Jul 2024 | 2 |
| Ming Jiang | HMP Swaleside | Natural | Published | 21 Jul 2024 | 4 |
| Alan Blake | HMP Liverpool | Natural | Published | 14 Jul 2024 | — |
| Harold Gibbons | HMP Littlehey | Natural | Published | 12 Jul 2024 | — |
| Dennis Cheeseman | HMP Littlehey | Natural | Published | 11 Jul 2024 | — |
| Stephen Wallwork | HMP Forest Bank | Unascertained | Published | 10 Jul 2024 | 1 |
| Michael Smith | HMP Altcourse | Natural | Published | 10 Jul 2024 | — |
| Michelle Saunders | HMP Littlehey | Natural | Published | 9 Jul 2024 | 1 |
| Wayne Hodgson | YOI Wetherby | Other | Published | 5 Jul 2024 | — |
| Geoffrey Holland | HMP Peterborough | Natural | Published | 4 Jul 2024 | — |
| Brian Jordan | HMP Durham | Self-inflicted | Published | 3 Jul 2024 | — |
| Raymond Paterson | HMP Fosse Way | Natural | Published | 1 Jul 2024 | 1 |
| Susan Simpson | HMP/YOI Downview | Natural | Published | 29 Jun 2024 | — |
| Michael Pugh | HMP Swaleside | Self-inflicted | Published | 29 Jun 2024 | 3 |
| Craig Topham | HMP Nottingham | Other | Published | 28 Jun 2024 | 1 |
| David Willis | HMP Standford Hill | Natural | Published | 28 Jun 2024 | — |
| Peter Honnor | HMP Wandsworth | Natural | Published | 27 Jun 2024 | 4 |
| Christopher Coughlan | HMP The Verne | Natural | Published | 26 Jun 2024 | — |
| Christopher Ash | HMP Birmingham | Natural | Published | 26 Jun 2024 | 1 |
| Clifford Ashton | HMP Rye Hill | Natural | Published | 26 Jun 2024 | — |
| Thanweer Asharaf | HMP Wandsworth | Natural | Published | 23 Jun 2024 | — |
| Raymond Moyle | HMP Hull | Natural | Published | 20 Jun 2024 | 2 |
| Sonny Tote | HMP Northumberland | Other | Published | 18 Jun 2024 | — |
| Tony King | HMP Swaleside | Natural | Published | 18 Jun 2024 | 2 |
| Matthew Scott | HMP Lincoln | Other | Published | 17 Jun 2024 | 1 |
| Robert Rixon | HMP/YOI Parc | Natural | Published | 17 Jun 2024 | — |
| John Chambers | HMP Hull | Natural | Published | 17 Jun 2024 | 1 |
| Neil Maddox | HMP Manchester | Natural | Published | 17 Jun 2024 | — |
| Peter Hicks | HMP Birmingham | Natural | Published | 16 Jun 2024 | — |
| Paul Dixon | HMP Preston | Natural | Published | 16 Jun 2024 | 1 |
| Kurt Broadbent | Burdett Lodge Approved Premises | Other | Published | 15 Jun 2024 | — |
| Anthony Matthews | HMP Hollesley Bay | Natural | Published | 13 Jun 2024 | 2 |
| Peter Osborne | HMP Elmley | Unascertained | Published | 11 Jun 2024 | — |
| Geoffrey Morris | HMP The Verne | Natural | Published | 10 Jun 2024 | — |
| Steven Rylands | HMP Frankland | Natural | Published | 9 Jun 2024 | — |
| Roy Varley | HMP Wakefield | Natural | Published | 8 Jun 2024 | — |
| Gary Wrest | Bowling Green Approved Premises | Self-inflicted | Published | 6 Jun 2024 | — |
| Neil West | HMP Nottingham | Natural | Published | 5 Jun 2024 | — |