A paedophile who sexually abused two girls died in custody.
Alan Jones was jailed after he admitted two charges of sexual assault on children under 13 as well as possessing indecent images of children. Jones, of Rugby Road, Ellesmere Port, had claimed during interviews with police that the girls had asked to engage in sexual activity with him.
However, Judge Huw Rees told him: "It is unbelievable you could harbour such thoughts". The court heard that the offending came to light when one of the girls told a school teacher.
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Inquiries were made and the second girl said she had been abused by Jones as well. Jones was jailed and made the subject of a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order as well as having to sign the Sex Offenders Register.
In November 2020, Jones was moved to Garth Prison, near Leyland, Lancashire. Shortly after arriving at the prison, Jones refused initial health assessments, although medical staff noted he had a diagnosis of an irregular heartbeat and had high blood pressure, reports LancsLive.
On January 27 last year Jones, was taken to hospital after prison staff noted he was struggling to breathe and had lost his appetite. The following day, after suffering a reported three heart attacks, he died in hospital.
A report published by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman this month revealed that prison staff had noted Jones was often angry while in jail and he had to be restrained on his way to hospital. All deaths in prison are investigated by the ombudsman in order to ensure that any issues around the care the deceased person received in custody are raised and that any lessons to be learned are highlighted and shared.
The report revealed that Jones was the thirteenth prisoner to die at HMP Garth since January 2019. Five of the previous deaths were from natural causes, five were drug-related and two were self-inflicted. Two more prisoners have died at Garth since his death; one from natural causes and one self-inflicted.
Prison records, which were assessed as part of the ombudsman's investigation, state that, during a health screen in November 2020, medical staff had no concerns about Jones' health but referred him to the GP to "discuss his anger and conditions related to his age". During the follow-up appointment, Jones said he "felt fine".
However, on January 27 in 2021, prison officers asked a nurse to review Jones as they were concerned about his presentation. The report states: "He walked to the treatment room for the review, but the nurse noted that his oxygen was low, he was breathing quickly, he reported severe stomach pain and had lost his appetite."
An ambulance was called at 11.30am and, at 2.30pm, Jones was taken to hospital. The following day, prison staff were informed Jones had died with his son by his side after suffering a heart attack.
The ombudsman's report states: "In her statement, the [hospital] doctor reported that Jones was likely to have had a heart attack in the days before coming to hospital and had had two more heart attacks while he was in hospital. After the second heart attack, hospital doctors agreed that further treatment was inappropriate, and he died shortly afterwards."
The ombudsman concluded that the care Jones received while in custody was equivalent to that in the community. No concerns were raised about any non-clinical issues.
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