Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘Missed opportunies’ over prison death
The murder of a sex offender branded “Britain’s worst paedophile” could have been stopped, an official report has concluded.
On October 13, 2019, prisoner Richard Huckle, who was from Ashford, died after being “violently assaulted” by another inmate – Paul Fitzgerald.
Huckle, who went to Harvey Grammar school in Folkestone, was serving 22 life sentences at HMP Full Sutton in East Yorkshire for the horrendous abuse of around 200 youngsters.
According to the evidence heard in court in 2020, Fitzgerald, who was at the same prison as Huckle, was fuelled by "poetic justice" and killed his victim because he wanted him to "feel what all those children felt".
Fitzgerald had planned to kill more people but got "carried away" by "how much fun" he was having with Huckle, a court heard. He had also fantasized about eating his victims.
Fitzgerald, who was also behind bars for a sexual offence at the time of the killing, was found guilty of murder following a four-day trial at Hull Crown Court in November 2020.
An investigation was launched into the death of 33year-old Huckle and a report now published has outlined there were “missed opportunit
ies” to identify the assault.
The report outlines that at 10.30am on October 13, 2019, Fitzgerald entered Huckle’s cell and “committed a sustained and violent assault”.
Just over an hour later, another prisoner who had disturbed the incident informed prison staff in the wing office.
They went to the cell, removed Fitzgerald and began emergency first aid. At 12.30pm paramedics confirmed Huckle had died.
The pathologist concluded that Huckle died from ligature compression of the neck.
The report into the incident says CCTV footage shows that “only one member of staff spent time on Huckle’s corridor during the period that Fitzgerald was in his cell”.
It adds: “This was a missed opportunity to identify the assault.”
Subsequently, recommendations have been issued to the prison.
It comes after Fitzgerald sometimes spoke to staff at Full Sutton about extremely violent fantasies. He also told an officer that he had constant thoughts of murder, rape, cannibalism and torture.
On the same day, staff found a note on another wing addressed to Fitzgerald. It indicated that he would be paid to assault a specific prisoner (not Huckle).
The report outlined that Huckle had been convicted of numerous high-profile and very serious offences against children and he was the victim of several acts of violence and bullying during his time in prison.
“Some prison staff told us that Mr Huckle’s offence made him more of a “target” for other prisoners,” it said.
“There were also suggestions that his manner in prison meant that he was unpopular with others.
“Prison staff must be vigilant to indicators that prisoners like Mr Huckle might be at an increased risk of assault at any given time.”
It went on to say that Fitzgerald had a long history of violent risk indicators in prison.
“He was diagnosed with and was being treated for a personality disorder with psychopathic traits. He had no social support outside prison,” the report went on.