Sex offender death in prison waiting for compassionate release
Harold Salt of Cheshunt died at HMP Littlehey near Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire
A convicted paedophile from Hertfordshire died of cancer while prison officers were still sorting out his compassionate release.
Harold Salt of Shalcross Drive, Cheshunt, sexually abused a child under the age of 13 between 1997 and 2001.
He was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault and one count of rape against his victim after a two-week trial in St Albans, which ended on November 11, 2019.
Salt died at HMP Littlehey near Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire when he was one-and-a-half years into his 18-year sentence.
According to a Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report published this month (November 2023), a hospice referral was accepted a month before he died aged 76 on May 27, 2021, but he was never moved.
Karen Johnson, the assistant ombudsman who wrote the report, said: “Mr Salt had long-term health conditions including high blood pressure, skin cancer, osteoarthritis and asthma.
“He was appropriately referred to the long-term conditions clinic.
“Mr Salt was diagnosed with lung cancer after investigations at Hinchingbrooke and Royal Papworth hospitals.
“He was informed of the diagnosis by a palliative care consultant employed at HMP Littlehey Healthcare.
“On March 29, Mr Salt was given a prognosis of up to six months and the prison appropriately coordinated an application for his release on compassionate grounds.
“Mr Salt died before the outcome of his compassionate release application was confirmed.
“During his end-of-life planning, Mr Salt said that he wanted to die in a hospice.
“A referral was made and accepted in April, but he was not transferred as his health unexpectedly improved for a short time.”
Ms Johnson said his condition had worsened and the palliative care consultant arranged for Salt to be transferred to Hinchingbrooke Hospital near Huntingdon.
“The palliative care consultant advised that Mr Salt’s needs could not be met at Littlehey as they did not have 24-hour nursing care,” she wrote.
“Mr Salt was discharged back to Littlehey on May 14 with daily support from social care staff.
“On May 27 at 8.45am, Mr Salt collapsed and became unresponsive whilst a nurse was changing his pain relief patch.
“A prison doctor confirmed that Mr Salt had died at 8.55am.”
Ms Johnson found the care Mr Salt received “was equivalent to that he could have expected to receive in the community”.
She added: “Mr Salt’s long-term conditions and palliative care was well managed by the prison.”
The PPO noted a prison reviewer had previously made recommendations in relation to clinical care not linked to Salt’s death.
According to the ombudsman, there were 28 deaths at the Cambridgeshire prison in the two years before Salt died.
Of these, 26 were from natural causes, the same cause identified in the Salt case.
The PPO has identified three deaths at HMP Littlehey after May 2021.