Cambridgeshire murderer died of cancer days after release to hospital

A Cambridgeshire woman who was jailed for killing her boyfriend died of cancer days after being released to hospital. Kim Chapman, from Dogsthorpe in Peterborough, denied killing Paul Delo in 2009 but was found guilty of stabbing him in the throat with a kitchen knife after a 2010 trial.

The judge in her case said Chapman had killed Mr Delo after a 'petty argument', according to a BBC report from 2010. Chapman, who was 51 at the time of the trial, was told she would serve at least 14 years before being considered for parole.

She died in hospital aged 64 on January 6, 2024, of breast cancer which had spread to other parts of her body. A Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report said she had been released early from HMP Send in Surrey on 'compassionate grounds'.

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Chapman was sent to hospital on December 4 last year after reporting ongoing pain and other symptoms. While in hospital, she was diagnosed with breast cancer which had spread to her liver.

On December 20, hospital staff said Chapman was suitable for palliative care only and prison staff applied for early release on compassionate grounds. She was released from her sentence on December 29.

The PPO report said: "Prison staff made a timely and appropriate application for early release on compassionate grounds." Chapman's family were present when she died.

You can read the full PPO report here.