In 2024, 69-year-old Colin Storey, an elderly prisoner serving a sentence for sexual assault, took his own life at HMP Northumberland during a site lockdown. The investigation established that Storey, who suffered from dementia-related memory issues and suspected psychosis, was found in his cell on 14 June 2024. The prosecution and subsequent independent report from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) reported that suicide monitoring was stopped prematurely, identifying a total abandonment of procedural safety for a vulnerable inmate who had recently attempted self-harm.
The investigation established that Storey’s series of behaviour in the months leading up to his death included hallucinations of his family and a suicide attempt involving a vape pen. The prosecution reported that although staff opened Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) procedures twice, the monitoring was closed on 10 June—just four days before his death—despite unresolved health concerns. This identifies a calculated failure in the duty of care, as a March referral for a memory assessment was never actioned by the prison’s clinical team.
CLINICAL FAILURES AND OMBUDSMAN RECOMMENDATIONS
The court reported that Storey was housed on an over-55s wing (HB14) and had expressed frustration that his memory confusion led directly to his self-harming. The investigation established that during a lockdown caused by staff shortages, a prison custody officer failed to check on Storey at 1.50pm, only discovering him after being alerted by another prisoner. The prosecution reported in 2026, that Adrian Usher, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, issued three mandatory recommendations to HMP Northumberland to ensure mental health presence at reviews and robust follow-ups for cognitive cases.
Prison-led proceedings and the clinical review concluded that while some care was equivalent to community standards, the “premature” closure of suicide watches was a significant lapse. For his actions and the nature of the sexual assault investigations reported prior to his incarceration, Colin Storey had been removed from the community to serve a six-year term. The investigation established that his forensic profile as a sex offender was a matter of permanent record until his death in June 2024.
STATUS AND CASE DETAILS (2024/2026)
Based on judicial and PPO records as of 2026:
- Legal Status: DECEASED (Convicted of sexual assault).
- Custodial Status: DIED IN CUSTODY (On 14 June 2024, at HMP Northumberland).
- Offence Nature: Convicted of sexual assault; sentenced to six years imprisonment.
- Timeline of Case: Sentenced January 2024; Self-harm incidents March and June 2024; Died 14 June 2024; PPO Report released 2026.
- Location: Acklington, Northumberland (HMP Northumberland); Origin: Durham.
- Forensic Profile: Then 69-year-old male; forensic history documents a struggle with alcohol abuse, Korsakoff syndrome, and dementia; identified as a high-risk vulnerable prisoner.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were active for life until his death.
- Judicial Oversight: Subject to an independent investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.
- Criminal Record: Convicted sex offender; Died in 2024.
- Origin: North East England.
MONITORING AND PUBLIC PROTECTION
In 2024, the death of Storey concluded his management under the statutory requirements of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Due to the nature of the behaviour—specifically the assault for which he was jailed—he was a priority for secure incarceration. Authorities reported that his 2024 sentencing identified Storey as an individual who prioritised his own perverted gratification over the principles of human decency and the life-safety of his victim.
As a registered sex offender, his details remained logged on the national police database until his death was confirmed. Authorities stated that the behaviour of Storey identified a commitment to clandestine sexual assault and the violation of others. His death in 2024 brings a close to the legal supervision of a man who used an “elderly resident” mask to hide a predatory intent to cause harm.
QUESTION – Given that the offender “took his own life after suicide monitoring was stopped prematurely” despite showing signs of dementia, do you believe the law should legally mandate that “All Elderly Prisoners with Cognitive Impairment” must be “Housed in Secure Medical Facilities” rather than standard prison wings to prevent a series of assaults on the duty of care?
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