William Rogers

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Independent investigation into
the death of Mr William Rogers,
a prisoner at HMP Preston,
on 8 October 2025
A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade Email: mail@ppo.gov.uk T l 020 7633 4100
Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Web: www.ppo.gov.uk
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© Crown copyright, 2026
This report is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0. To view this licence,
visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3
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1. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman aims to make a significant contribution to
safer, fairer custody and community supervision. One of the most important ways in
which we work towards that aim is by carrying out independent investigations into
deaths, due to any cause, of prisoners, young people in detention, residents of
approved premises and detainees in immigration centres.
2. If my office is to best assist His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in
ensuring the standard of care received by those within service remit is appropriate,
our recommendations should be focused, evidenced and viable. This is especially
the case if there is evidence of systemic failure.
3. In January 2024, Mr William Rogers was sentenced to a 24 month Suspended
Sentence Order (SSO) for a sexual offence. (A SSO is a custodial sentence served
in the community, unless the person breaches the conditions, in which case the
court can activate the sentence and send them to prison.) In July 2025, Mr Rogers
was remanded to prison, charged with breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention
Order. He remained unsentenced at the time of his death. He died in hospital of
lung cancer, on 8 October, while a prisoner at HMP Preston. Ischaemic heart
disease, atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm) and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD – a lung disease) also contributed to his death. He was 74 years
old. We offer our condolences to Mr Rogers’ family and friends.
4. The Ombudsman’s office wrote to Mr Rogers’ next of kin to explain the investigation
and to ask if they had any matters they wanted us to consider. They did not
respond.
5. NHS England commissioned an independent clinical reviewer, to review Mr Rogers’
clinical care at Preston.
6. The clinical reviewer concluded that the clinical care Mr Rogers received at Preston
was of a good standard and equivalent to that which he could have expected to
receive in the community. She found that Mr Rogers had appropriate care plans in
place for his coronary heart disease and COPD, with regular and timely reviews by
healthcare staff. The clinical reviewer noted evidence of good multi-disciplinary
working, with weekly meetings and responsive involvement from the healthcare
team. She also acknowledged compassionate interactions by healthcare and prison
staff. The clinical reviewer made no recommendations.
7. The PPO investigator investigated the non-clinical issues relating to Mr Rogers’
care.
8. We did not find any non-clinical issues of concern. We make no recommendations.
9. The initial report was shared with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS).
HMPPS did not find any factual inaccuracies.
Adrian Usher
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman May 2026
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 1
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Inquest
10. At the inquest held on 1 May 2026, the Coroner concluded that Mr Rogers died
from natural causes.
2 Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
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Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade Email: mail@ppo.gov.uk T l 020 7633 4100
Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Web: www.ppo.gov.uk
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