Schoolboy murderer Brian Field cause of death emerges amid life sentence

Brian Field a farm labourer abducted Roy Tutill as he hitch-hiked between home and school in order to save money to buy bicycle
-Credit:PA


Schoolboy murderer Brian Field died of natural causes having suffered from stomach cancer while serving life in prison, BirminghamLive can reveal. The 87-year-old passed away at HMP Full Sutton in Yorkshire in February last year.

Former farm labourer Field, from Solihull, kidnapped and sexually assaulted 14-year-old hitchhiker Roy Tutill in 1968. He was only brought to justice three decades later when he was stopped for drink-driving in 1999. In 2001, he admitted the teen's murder and was jailed for life at the Old Bailey.

The violent paedophile has long been suspected of committing other offences, including involvement in the disappearance of the 'Milk Carton Kids' Patrick Warren, 11, and David Spencer, 13. Field was quizzed by police over the pair, who went missing from Chelmsley Wood on Boxing Day, 1996, but he denied any involvement. Now details of the last days of Field's life have emerged.

ADVERTISEMENT

READ MORE: Police probing BMW hit-and-run make picture appeal

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigated Field's case, as is normal with deaths in custody. It said a prison nurse saw him over weight loss in June 2023. He agreed to have a blood test and give a stool sample.

David Spencer and Patrick Warren were 13 and 11 when they vanished from the streets of Chelmsley Wood on Boxing Day 1996 - 25 years on, people are being asked to light a candle to remember them
David Spencer and Patrick Warren were 13 and 11 when they vanished from the streets of Chelmsley Wood on Boxing Day 1996 - 25 years on, people are being asked to light a candle to remember them -Credit:SWNS

It was found he had an iron deficiency and a later blood test came back abnormal. The report said he wanted to be referred to hospital for treatment. A faecal immunochemical test (FIT), which indicates conditions including bowel cancer, came back as positive in November 2023.

The report said: "On December 12, a prison GP saw Mr Field and offered to refer him for a colonoscopy or CT scan for suspected cancer. Mr Field told the GP he would prefer not to be referred for investigation. He said he knew he may have cancer which could shorten his life."

ADVERTISEMENT

Following a fall, Field was diagnosed with iron deficiency anaemia and later admitted to hospital for an urgent blood transfusion on January 19.

Ther report went on: "A senior officer (SO) completed the security risk assessment and identified Mr Field posed a high risk to the public due to his index offence. He also noted Mr Field was a fully compliant prisoner with an enhanced Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) status, he had no history of disciplinary hearings, no behavioural concerns and there had been no incidents when he had previously attended hospital.

"The SO recommended an escort cable (a long metal cable with a handcuff at each end, one of which is attached to the prisoner and the other to an officer) should be used as Mr Field’s health was deteriorating. As he was a category A prisoner, the Deputy Governor decided Mr Field should be escorted by an SO and two officers. Mr Field was taken there in a wheelchair and restrained using an escort cable."

Murdered schoolboy Mark Billington
Murdered schoolboy Mark Billington

The report added: "On January 26, a nurse visited Mr Field. She spoke to a hospital nurse, who told her Mr Field had a mass in his liver and in his pancreas. Mr Field was offered palliative treatment but wanted to return to Full Sutton. He was discharged from hospital that day and admitted to the prison’s inpatient palliative care suite.

ADVERTISEMENT

"On January 27, an end-of-life care plan was created for Mr Field. On January 29, Mr Field’s daughter and son visited him in prison. On January 30, a prison GP saw Mr Field to discuss his diagnosis. Mr Field told the GP that he would go back into hospital for a blood transfusion or for treatment of an infection but did not want further investigation or treatment of his cancer.

"On February 3, a nurse attended Mr Field’s cell and found him unresponsive. She reported that Mr Field did not appear in distress or pain. Wing staff agreed to continue welfare checks and to tell healthcare staff if there were any changes in his presentation. At approximately 8.40am on February 4, Mr Field died."

A post-mortem examination report concluded he died of advanced gastric cancer. Mr Field also had a liver abscess which did not cause but contributed to his death. A Hull coroner concluded that Field died of natural causes.

It was previously reported that Field was linked to the killing of Mark Billington, 15, who went missing from his home in South Yardley on September 1, 1984. His body was found hanging from a tree off Somers Lane, Meriden - about seven miles from his home - two months later. An inquest initially recorded an open verdict in 1998. But police reviewed the case and reclassified it as a murder investigation.

Mark’s murderer has never been caught and his family said previously the killer could have been Field. They begged police to interview Field again in 2021 "before it's too late." They said Field was a "good suspect" as he lived a ten-minute walk from where Mark was last seen. He had also been released from jail months before Mark vanished.