Ex-soldier who subjected child to horrific sex attacks dies at Teesside prison
A former soldier who subjected a child to horrific sex attacks has died at a Teesside prison.
Malcolm Burwood, 84, was caged for 12 years at Newcastle Crown Court in March 2019 after he was convicted of four sex offences. A new Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report has revealed that on April 7, Burwood died in Stockton's Holme House Prison from prostate cancer.
Burnwood was jailed at Holme House when he was 79 and served five years of his sentence before his death. According to Chronicle Live, Burwood was a former soldier who subjected his victim to horrific sex attacks which haunted him for decades.
The court heard Burwood had threatened his young victim to make sure he kept quiet about the abuse he was suffering. Burwood, previously of Dean Gardens, Houghton-le-Spring, denied two charges of indecent assault, one of indecency with a child and another serious sexual offence but was found guilty by a jury earlier this year.
The court heard the ex-soldier had been of "positive good character" in recent decades had character references from relatives who called him "a caring man, a loving man" and said he was a "rock" for the family. At the time, as well as jailing him, Judge Edward Bindloss said Burwood, who had a "catalogue" of medical problems, including obstructive airways disease, renal failure and hearing loss, must sign the sex offenders register for life.
The new PPO report said clinical care Burwood received in prison was of a good standard and equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community. The inspector did not find any non-clinical issues of concern.
An inquest was held on May 30 and concluded that the inmate died from natural causes. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman aims to make a significant contribution to safer, fairer custody and community supervision. The PPO carries out independent investigations into deaths, due to any cause, of prisoners, young people in detention, residents of approved premises and detainees in immigration centres.
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