A burglar whose prison sentence was cut short under the government’s scheme to relieve overcrowding in jails was found dead 13 days after leaving his cell.
Peter Osborne, from Ashford, was serving a six-month sentence for burglary at HMP Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey when he became eligible for early release on licence last spring.
The 38-year-old, who had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had a history of drug use, was first remanded in custody in February 2024 after being charged with a string of burglary offences, before being sentenced to six months imprisonment in April.
He had also been arrested in both 2017 and 2021 for similar offences including theft, burglary and shoplifting.
On May 29 last year – under the End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme (ECSL), which at the time allowed criminals to be released up to 70 days early to help control expanding prison populations – Osborne moved to accommodation found for him in Rochester.
But less than two weeks after leaving prison, on June 11, 2024, he was pronounced dead by paramedics after officials – who had been unable to fit his electronic ankle tag the day before resulting in a breach of his licence – went back to check on him and found him unresponsive in his room.
A subsequent post-mortem could not determine his cause of death and the coroner concluded his inquest with an open verdict.
An independent investigation into Osborne’s death – the findings of which have just been published – show that before he left HMP Elmley, the inmate had numerous contact with both mental health and medical teams.
On more than one occasion, says the report, he expressed concerns about his mental health while he also threatened to self-harm if not given strong painkillers to treat pain from previous motorbike and football accidents.
However, invitations to attend emotional coping skills and paranoia workshops were not taken up – the report adds – while he also walked out of another medical appointment and rejected offers of physiotherapy before his release.
He also failed to appear at meetings with the community substance misuse team and Ashford probation in the first week after leaving prison.
The report into Osborne’s death – produced by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman because his death took place within 14 days of his release – found no fault with those supervising him before or after he left prison and says all proper procedures were followed.
It concluded: “Our investigation has found that staff completed appropriate pre-release planning, including referrals for Mr Osborne.
“We did not identify any significant learning relating to the pre-release planning or post-release supervision of Mr Osborne.”
