Reports into the deaths were recently published
HMP Altcourse(Image: Andrew Teebay)
The cause of death for two HMP Altcourse sex offenders has been revealed after they both died within months of each other last year. After the death of Garth Walker in March 2024, followed by that of John Simpson in December, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) launched two investigations into the deaths at the Liverpool-based prison, which have now both concluded.
Walker was handed two sentences of seven years and 18 months to run consecutively for sexual offences in January 2016. The 77-year-old died from congestive heart failure, meaning his heart stopped pumping blood properly, on March 17 last year.
He had been in hospital but remained a serving inmate at HMP Altcourse. Just a month later an inquest was held which concluded that Walker died of natural causes.
It was found he had received clinical care equivalent to that of the care he would expect in the community. The PPO also noted there were no concerns surrounding his death.
Simpson died nine months after Walker after he was also sentenced for sex offences in May 2023.
He had been jailed for 18 years for his crimes, with the 76-year-old being taken to hospital before dying as a result of lung cancer on December 17 while a serving inmate at HMP Altcourse.
A spontaneous bleed around the brain had also been found which was listed as a contributing factor to his death. An independent reviewer was appointed following the death to look at the care he received.
The PPO report in Simpson’s death said: “The clinical reviewer concluded that the care Mr Simpson received at Altcourse was of a good standard and equivalent to that he would have received in the community.
“He found that Mr Simpson’s medical records included evidence of end-of-life care planning, and that healthcare interventions were thoroughly documented. He noted that the palliative care link nurse and the community palliative care team regularly monitored Mr Simpson.
“He also found that healthcare staff provided effective pain management and support in the prison’s inpatient unit.”
An inquest in January this year also concluded Simpson died as a result of natural causes.
Altcourse is a category B prison which holds up to 1,164 male prisoners who have either been convicted or are on remand. The prison is currently run by Sodexo, who took over management of the prison in June 2023 from G4S.
Prison inspectors who carried out a recent investigation at the category B jail found drugs had resulted in a “major threat” to safety and security. Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults had increased steadily over the past two years, largely fuelled by debt collection, with 70 attacks classed as “serious” – double the number of the last inspection.
During July’s visit, inspectors assessed outcomes for prisoners against four tests. They found outcomes were not sufficiently good for safety; reasonably good for respect; poor for purposeful activity; and reasonably good for preparation for release.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons is an independent organisation that inspects every facility in England and Wales to report on conditions and the treatment of its inmates. Every prison and youth facility is inspected at least every five years.
In his most recent annual report Mr Taylor called on the government to take far more seriously the widespread issues of drugs in prisons. He said the national issue saw the supply and use of illicit drugs “undermining every aspect of prison life”, with organised crime groups destabilising jails and preventing rehabilitation work.