Child rapist dies ‘of pain’ as he awaits release on ‘compassionate grounds’

A child rapist who died in custody did not receive adequate medical care towards the end of his life, an inquest has found.

Edward Coysh, formerly of Wakefield, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for sex offenses following a court hearing in May 2018.

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

Read more: Teenagers hailed heroes after ‘dragged suicidal man off train tracks’

His death was investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman whose report concluded that Coysh received medical care that was not equivalent to what he could have expected to receive in the community.

The Ombudsman’s report said: “The clinical reviewer concluded that the healthcare Mr Coysh received at HMP Wymott was not equivalent to what he could have expected to receive in the community.

“The clinical reviewer was concerned that medical staff failed to detect Mr Coysh’s current liver function problems when he arrived in prison and that he was not referred earlier to an NHS specialist for investigation. In addition, his pain management was poor and medical staff failed to seek specialist advice that could have significantly improved Mr Coysh’s quality of life.”

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

Get all the latest and breaking West Yorkshire court news straight to your inbox Sign up for our newsletter here.

Although his prognosis was still unclear and his life expectancy unknown, the prison began the process of applying for early compassionate release on his behalf. On 26 April, Coysh died in hospital before the compassionate release application was finalised.

The clinical reviewer said Coysh’s pain management was “inadequate” and that “the significance of the pain Mr Coysh was experiencing was not always recognised”.

“As a result, it was not taken into account and Mr Coysh continued to experience pain. The clinical reviewer was also concerned that when a nurse saw that Mr Coysh was in significant pain on 10 April 2021, she did not consider making his GP appointment. “

The Ombudsman’s report made a number of recommendations.