Abhorrent child killer Colin Evans spent final weeks chained to hospital bed, unable to move and in severe pain

-Credit: (Image: David Himelfield)
-Credit: (Image: David Himelfield)


Child killer Colin Evans died here in Yorkshire after spending 40-years behind bars for the murder of a four-year-old girl.

Colin Evans kidnapped and sexually abused four-year-old Marie Payne after kidnapping her from outside her home in Dagenham on March 11, 1983. Her body was found 14 months later in nearby Epping Forest after Evans attempted to kidnap more children in the area, leading to his arrest and confession.

He was jailed for life in December 1984. Now, a report into the death of child killer Colin Evans at a prison in Yorkshire has found that restraints were used 'disproportionately' when he was taken to hospital.

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Since November 2006, he has been jailed in HMP Full Sutton, located near Pocklington in East Yorkshire. He died there on January 26, 2024.

Now, a report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been released, revealing he died "in hospital of bronchopneumonia, with ischaemic heart disease and chronic kidney disease contributory factors", aged 84. The report also states restraints were used "disproportionately" when he was transferred to hospital, without "due consideration" of his age and health conditions.

The report also found the care Evans received in hospital "was of a reasonable standard and equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community."

According to the report, Evans was first diagnosed with stage three chronic kidney disease in 2010 and he was suffering from a number of other health conditions. This included cancer of the white blood cells, hypertension, high cholesterol and first degree atrioventricular block, meaning his heart was beating abnormally.

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In 2022, it was found he did not need further treatment for his white blood cell cancer and in 2023 it was found that his kidneys were at 16% function, where normal kidney function is above 90%, and he was kept under review. In August of 2023 another prisoner was helping Evans move around the prison on a wheelchair, and by September his kidney function had increased to 21%.

By November 2023, Evans reported feeling nauseous and abdominal pain, so was admitted to hospital on November 1. It was judged that he was a high risk to the public, a low risk to hospital staff and a low risk of escape.

As he was a Category A prisoner, the highest security category, he was restrained, and a nurse had no medical objections to the use of restraints. A duty manager decided he should be restrained by an escort cable, which is a strong metal cable with a handcuff at either end, one attached to the prisoner's wrist and the other to an officer.

He was also escorted by two officers.

Later that month, on November 22, he was admitted to hospital again and another escort risk assessment was conducted, finding Evans as a medium risk to the public, a low risk to hospital staff and a low risk of escape. A doctor completed the medical section this time and once again had no objections to the use of restraints, so Evans was again restrained by an escort cable with two officers escorting him.

Marie Payne
Marie Payne

At the hospital, he was diagnosed with heart failure and an abnormal rhythm of the heart, and it was also found he had cellulitis.

By December, Evans was struggling to move around and was moved to another cell, adapted to reduce the risk of falls. A GP at Full Sutton recommended he be admitted to hospital on December 13, as the swelling from his cellulitis had increased, but Evans declined and said he preferred to be treated at Full Sutton.

On December 28, he agreed to be transferred to hospital and was moved to York District Hospital by ambulance. Once again, a risk assessment was completed, finding Evans a high risk to the public, a low risk to hospital staff and a low risk of escape., with no objections to the use of restraints. The GP recorded that Evans' condition restricted his ability to escape, but said he did not have impaired mobility and Evans was restrained by an escort cable, with two officers.

On January 13 his health declined and his escort cable was removed, with Evans remaining on oxygen and a number of intravenous treatments. Staff completed a do not attempt to resuscitate order two days later.

He began end of life care on January 24 and died two days later.

The report said: "The Prison Service has a duty to protect the public when escorting prisoners outside prison, such as to hospital. It also has a responsibility to balance this by treating prisoners with humanity. The level of restraints used should be necessary in all the circumstances and based on a risk assessment, which considers the risk of escape, the risk to the public and takes into account the prisoner’s health and mobility.

"A judgment in the High Court in 2007 made it clear that prison staff need to distinguish between a prisoner’s risk of escape when fit (and the risk to the public in the event of an escape) and the prisoner’s risk when suffering from a serious medical condition. It said that medical opinion about the prisoner’s ability to escape must be considered as part of the assessment process and kept under review as circumstances change.

"Mr Evans was 84 years old and had a significant medical history of poor health, including pneumonia and heart and kidney disease. In the last few months of his life, cellulitis restricted his mobility."

It added: "While Mr Evans’ might have been a Category A prisoner, his symptoms and medical history on each of these occasions, in line with the High Court judgement, meant that his risk could have been effectively managed by the officers accompanying him without the use of restraints. It is not evident that his medical condition was properly reported or considered in the escort risk assessment, or that prison staff demonstrated that any risk factors he might have had outweighed his medical condition."

The report found Evans had died of natural causes.