Murder Accused John Heald Found Dead In Prison

A Rotherham man accused of murdering a guest house landlady has been found dead in prison while waiting for the jury to reach a verdict. John Heald, 53, was on trial at Hull Crown Court accused of murdering Bei Carter. Judge Jeremy Richardson QC told the jury that Heald was found dead at Hull Prison last night.

A Prison Service spokesman said: John Heald was found unresponsive in his cell at Hull prison at about 5.50am today.

Paramedics attended but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Every self-inflicted death is a tragedy and we make strenuous efforts to learn from each one.

As with all deaths, the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation.''

Speaking outside Hull Crown Court DCI Matt Baldwin said there would now be a separate investigation into the death of Heald. Overnight, the defendant in the case of the murder of BeiCarter has committed suicide in his cell at Hull prison.''

He added: There will be a separate investigation into the death of John Heald, which will include a post-mortem examination to conclude a cause of death.''

Mr Baldwin said Mrs Carter's husband, Terry, was shocked and disappointed'' that the trial would not conclude in a verdict.

It's a difficult situation. My thoughts are with the victim of the sexual offences John Heald is alleged to have committed and of the family of Bei Carter, who will now not get closure from this process,'' he said.I think, like myself and everyone else involved in the case, he (Mr Carter) is shocked and disappointed that he won't receive a conclusion to this trial. He has been here and listened to the evidence, he's very satisfied with the police investigation and he now needs to go away and consider the circumstances.'' The detective said Heald's death ended the investigation into Mrs Carter's murder. He said:It was a complex investigation. I'm satisfied we did a thorough job of that. We brought the correct indictments to the crown court and that John Heald was responsible for the death of Bei Carter.''