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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Newbon | HMP Frankland | Natural | Published | 9 Nov 2024 | 1 |
| Brian Acott | HMP Lewes | Natural | Published | 17 Sep 2024 | 2 |
| Colin Harding | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | 3 Aug 2024 | 2 |
| Igor Vujkovic | HMP Maidstone | Natural | Published | 11 May 2024 | 4 |
| Richard Cosgrove | HMP Humber | Other | Published | 18 Apr 2024 | 2 |
| Mark Johnston | HMP Swansea | Other | Published | 7 Apr 2024 | 2 |
| Barry Rossiter | HMP Northumberland | Natural | Published | 23 Mar 2024 | 2 |
| Stuart Berry | HMP Chelmsford | Self-inflicted | Published | 1 Feb 2024 | 3 |
| Patryk Gladysz | HMP Wandsworth | Self-inflicted | Published | 19 Jan 2024 | 3 |
| Daniel Fielding | HMP Liverpool | Self-inflicted | Published | 19 Jan 2024 | 6 |
| Kevin Noel | HMP Leyhill | Natural | Published | 18 Jan 2024 | 2 |
| Darren Boamah | HMP Wormwood Scrubs | Natural | Published | 3 Jan 2024 | 2 |
| Gavin Cox | HMP Wymott | Self-inflicted | Published | 14 Oct 2023 | 1 |
| Muxsin Awjama | HMP Nottingham | Self-inflicted | Published | 5 Oct 2023 | 2 |
| Filmon Brhane | HMP Maidstone | Self-inflicted | Published | 12 Jun 2023 | 8 |
| Kirsten Hocking | HMP/YOI Downview | Other | Published | 24 May 2023 | 2 |
| Dean Graham | HMP Northumberland | Natural | Published | 11 Apr 2023 | 3 |
| Rolandas Karbauskas | HMP Lowdham Grange | Self-inflicted | Published | 25 Mar 2023 | 6 |
| Shafaq Khan | HMP Hindley | Natural | Published | 28 Feb 2023 | 2 |
| Roy King | HMP Littlehey | Self-inflicted | Published | 30 Jan 2023 | 5 |
| Ian Deavall | HMP Forest Bank | Natural | Published | 24 Jan 2023 | 3 |
| Curtis Cadman | HMP Lincoln | Natural | Published | 21 Nov 2022 | 2 |
| Ewan Homer | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | 6 Nov 2022 | 3 |
| Colin Lovett | HMP The Verne | Self-inflicted | Published | 29 Oct 2022 | 4 |
| John Warry | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | 25 Sep 2022 | 10 |
| Anthony O’Connell | HMP Swaleside | Self-inflicted | Published | 18 Sep 2022 | 9 |
| Thomas Oleisky | HMP Wealstun | Self-inflicted | Published | 11 Sep 2022 | 5 |
| Anthony Christian | HMP Littlehey | Natural | Published | 18 Aug 2022 | 1 |
| Neil McKenna | HMP Littlehey | Natural | Published | 19 Jul 2022 | 2 |
| Nathaniel Humphreys | HMP Littlehey | Self-inflicted | Published | 11 Jul 2022 | 2 |
| Kayleigh Melhuish | HMP/YOI Eastwood Park | Self-inflicted | Published | 7 Jul 2022 | 8 |
| Michael Higginbottom | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | 5 Jun 2022 | 4 |
| Isaac Ayeni | HMP Aylesbury | Other | Published | 16 May 2022 | 2 |
| Jeremie Simmons | HMP Wakefield | Self-inflicted | Published | 4 May 2022 | 6 |
| Ricardo Cotteral | HMP Sudbury | Homicide | Published | 24 Apr 2022 | 5 |
| Lewis Petryszyn | HMP/YOI Parc | Other | Published | 15 Apr 2022 | 4 |
| Gordon Dunn | HMP The Verne | Natural | Published | 31 Mar 2022 | 5 |
| Ian Davies | HMP Bristol | Self-inflicted | Published | 6 Dec 2021 | 7 |
| Diana Grant | HMP Bronzefield | Self-inflicted | Published | 20 Nov 2021 | 6 |
| Maqsood Asif | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | 18 Nov 2021 | 5 |
| Azroy Dawes-Clarke | HMP Elmley | Self-inflicted | Published | 10 Nov 2021 | 8 |
| Ashley Wood | HMP Exeter | Self-inflicted | Published | 9 Sep 2021 | 9 |
| Benjamin Walter | HMP Lowdham Grange | Other | Published | 20 Aug 2021 | 1 |
| Daniel Ayers | HMP Winchester | Self-inflicted | Published | 25 Jul 2021 | 14 |
| Keith Williams | HMP Dovegate | Self-inflicted | Published | 12 Jul 2021 | 14 |
| Akhtar Hussain | HMP Manchester | Self-inflicted | Published | 8 Jul 2021 | 12 |
| Shahrooz Ghassemian | HMP Wandsworth | Self-inflicted | Published | 21 Jun 2021 | 10 |
| Lukasz Lukasik | HMP Hull | Self-inflicted | Published | 27 May 2021 | 6 |
| Sebastião Lucas | HMP Wandsworth | Self-inflicted | Published | 12 May 2021 | 6 |
| Przemyslaw Wozniak | HMP Wandsworth | Self-inflicted | Published | 17 Feb 2021 | 8 |
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