Child molester died ‘in pain’ while awaiting release on ‘compassion’ charges

A child molester who died in custody did not receive adequate medical care at the end of his life, an investigation has found.

Edward Coysh, formerly of Wakefield, served a ten-year prison sentence for sexual offences following a trial in May 2018.

At the time, he was reportedly found guilty of raping a child under the age of 16 in the 1960s. Coysh died of cancer on April 26, 2021, while incarcerated as a prisoner at HMP Wymott near Leyland, Lancashire. He was 74 years old.

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His death was investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, who concluded in his report that Coysh had received medical care that fell short of what he could have expected in society.

The Ombudsman’s report states: “The clinical assessor concluded that the medical care Mr Coysh received at HMP Wymott was not equivalent to that which he could have expected in the community.”

“The clinical assessor was concerned that healthcare staff failed to recognise Mr Coysh’s ongoing liver function problems when he arrived at prison and that he was not referred to NHS cancer specialists for assessment sooner. In addition, his pain management was poor and healthcare staff had failed to seek specialist advice which could have significantly improved Mr Coysh’s quality of life.”

The clinical assessor concluded that the clinical care Coysh received at HMP Wymott was variable. There were some examples of good practice but also “significant areas requiring improvement”. On 18 April, Coysh was told in hospital that he had terminal cancer, which had primarily affected his liver and lungs.

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Although his prognosis was not yet clear and his life expectancy was unknown, the prison began processing a request for early humanitarian release on his behalf. On April 26, Coysh died in hospital before the request for early humanitarian release was completed.

The clinical assessor said Coysh’s pain management had been “inadequate” and that “the significance of the pain Mr Coysh experienced was not always recognized.”

“As a result, nothing was done and Mr Coysh continued to suffer pain. The clinical assessor was also concerned that when a nurse saw that Mr Coysh was in significant pain on 10 April 2021, she did not consider bringing forward his GP appointment.”

The Ombudsman’s report contains a number of recommendations.