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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raymond Connor | HMP Whatton | Natural | Published | 22 Feb 2025 | 2 |
| Christopher Walton | HMP Ranby | Natural | Published | 6 Feb 2025 | 7 |
| Edward Lomas | HMP Pentonville | Self-inflicted | Published | 22 May 2024 | 4 |
| Brian Burrows | HMP Leeds | Self-inflicted | Published | 15 May 2024 | 3 |
| Igor Vujkovic | HMP Maidstone | Natural | Published | 11 May 2024 | 4 |
| Rana Khan | HMP Wandsworth | Natural | Published | 5 Apr 2024 | 4 |
| Edward Hands | HMP Bedford | Other | Published | 16 Feb 2024 | 4 |
| Sean Higgins | HMP Rochester | Self-inflicted | Published | 7 Feb 2024 | 6 |
| Daniel Fielding | HMP Liverpool | Self-inflicted | Published | 19 Jan 2024 | 6 |
| Lawrence Johnson | HMP Frankland | Natural | Published | 13 Jan 2024 | 3 |
| Christopher Baptiste | HMP Swaleside | Other | Published | 31 Oct 2023 | 4 |
| Rajwinder Singh | HMP Wandsworth | Self-inflicted | Published | 25 Jun 2023 | 6 |
| Steven Blake | HMP Haverigg | Self-inflicted | Published | 28 Apr 2023 | 2 |
| Christopher Corkill | Isle of Man | Self-inflicted | Published | 24 Feb 2023 | 15 |
| Joseph Davies | HMP Northumberland | Self-inflicted | Published | 12 Feb 2023 | 1 |
| Roy King | HMP Littlehey | Self-inflicted | Published | 30 Jan 2023 | 5 |
| Paul Paget | HMP Swaleside | Natural | Published | 17 Jan 2023 | 3 |
| Ryan Harding | HMP/YOI Parc | Other | Published | 8 Jan 2023 | 3 |
| Akash Akeel | HMP Leeds | Self-inflicted | Published | 31 Dec 2022 | 2 |
| Oliver Davies | HMP Hewell | Self-inflicted | Published | 31 Dec 2022 | 3 |
| Jamie Andrews | HMP Bristol | Natural | Published | 4 Dec 2022 | 2 |
| Ian Kettles | HMP Bristol | Self-inflicted | Published | 11 Nov 2022 | 4 |
| Jason Kennedy | HMP/YOI High Down | Other | Published | 9 Nov 2022 | 4 |
| Colin Lovett | HMP The Verne | Self-inflicted | Published | 29 Oct 2022 | 4 |
| John Warry | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | 25 Sep 2022 | 10 |
| Christopher Keeling | HMP/YOI Doncaster | Self-inflicted | Published | 18 Sep 2022 | 3 |
| Marlon Burrows | HMP Garth | Other | Published | 16 Aug 2022 | 6 |
| Rebecca Parkinson | HMP/YOI Styal | Other | Published | 31 Jul 2022 | 2 |
| Emlyn Francis | HMP Dovegate | Natural | Published | 18 Jul 2022 | 3 |
| 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 Fox | HMP Humber | Other | Published | 15 Mar 2022 | 1 |
| Graham Taylor | HMP Dartmoor | Self-inflicted | Published | 17 Dec 2021 | 1 |
| William Roalfe | HMP Channings Wood | Natural | Published | 20 Nov 2021 | 9 |
| Daniel Ayers | HMP Winchester | Self-inflicted | Published | 25 Jul 2021 | 14 |
| Daniel Beckford | HMP Wandsworth | Self-inflicted | Published | 23 Jun 2021 | 6 |
| Shahrooz Ghassemian | HMP Wandsworth | Self-inflicted | Published | 21 Jun 2021 | 10 |
| George Petrou | HMP Pentonville | Self-inflicted | Published | 1 Mar 2021 | 7 |
| Peter Tauroza | HMP Wandsworth | Self-inflicted | Published | 6 Mar 2020 | 8 |
| Brandon Johnson | HMP Wandsworth | Other | Published | 12 Sep 2019 | 5 |
| Daniel Short | Glogan House Approved Premises | Other | Published | 14 Aug 2019 | 8 |
| Jonathan McCarthy | HMP Onley | Natural | Published | 12 Aug 2018 | 2 |
| Aaron Nunes | HMP/YOI Parc | Natural | Published | 21 Feb 2016 | 25 |