Paedophile rector died just weeks after being sent to jail

A DISGRACED clergyman died just weeks after being sentenced to 12 years in jail for sexually abusing four boys and young men, an inquest heard.

A jury at Hull Crown Court found the Rev Canon Terence Grigg, 84, guilty of 14 sex offences between the mid-1980s and early 1990s on August 9, 2018.

An inquest in Hull yesterday was told that the retired Rector of St Mary’s, Cottingham, died at Hull Royal Infirmary on August 26, 2018 from multiple organ failure, caused by a heart attack and underlying heart disease.

Grigg, who had homes in North Yorkshire and Devon, had suffered a previous heart attack and had had a pacemaker fitted.

A friend noticed his health deteriorate further as the trial drew to a close and said that when the sentence was delivered Grigg “looked beaten down, his head down and shoulders hunched”.

Grigg was kept overnight for observation in Hull Prison’s wellbeing unit on August 17, after suffering from nausea and vomiting.

He became unwell again on August 23, and the following day it was decided he would be sent for a hospital assessment on August 25, as he wasn’t complaining of chest pain, or short of breath.

“Frail” Grigg was taken handcuffed to hospital in a wheelchair, where he died the following day.

A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report said the decision to handcuff him to a prison officer on a long chain was “unjustified” – and made recommendations to improve inmates’ healthcare.

Coroner Prof Paul Marks said not removing the restraint “up till the moment it was terminal” could be considered “inhumane” and the chance of Grigg absconding would have been “approaching nil”.

The jail’s head of residence and safety, Gary Sword, said the concerns had been taken on board.

The inquest continues.