According to a recent story, a former teacher and Scout master who was a paedophile and mistreated two boys passed away in prison from natural causes.
On March 18, 2025, Russell Howard-Tricker, 83, passed away at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire while serving a 14-year sentence.
According to a recent report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, a palliative medicine expert identified three joint causes of death: pulmonary fibrosis, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction from ischaemic heart disease, and pancytopenia linked to carbimazole.
Although it wasn’t the primary cause of his death, hyperthyroidism was noted as a secondary issue.
According to the inquest, Howard-Tricker passed away from natural causes.
Investigators saw that he had very limited mobility, was in bad health, and had no next of kin listed on his documents.
A night patrol officer discovered Howard-Tricker semi-naked and covered in urine and excrement on the floor of his cell the night he passed away.
Observing that he was breathing and moving his arms and legs, she waited for additional staff to arrive before entering on her own, in accordance with the regulations for unlocking cells at night.
The governor fully supported the actions taken and had carefully studied broader lessons from the case, despite the Ombudsman’s concerns that the policy might not be flexible enough for vulnerable convicts.
The clinical care Howard-Tricker had in prison was of a decent standard and comparable to what he could have expected in the community, according to an independent clinical reviewer hired by NHS England. The reviewer also made two suggestions for medical personnel that were unrelated to his death.
In October 2019, Howard-Tricker was found guilty of sexual offences against two boys at Chelmsford Crown Court. He had been grooming and abusing one victim since he was 13 years old while working as a teacher at a school in Colchester.
He also sexually assaulted a youngster he knew through the Scouts and took naked pictures of him.
When police found out he had been residing in Prague, he was taken into custody at Birmingham Airport in December 2018.
For the latest updates and offender details, follow us on the Offender Register Facebook Page. If you or anyone you know has been affected by the individuals highlighted on this website, please report them to the Police on 101 (999 in an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details on how to report a crime. You can also report to Crimestoppers if you wish to remain completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.