ROBERT ENGLISH FROM GATESHEAD DIES AFTER BEING CHAINED IN HOSPITAL WHILE BATTLING CANCER
In a disturbing revelation, it has been reported that Robert English, a convicted sex offender from Gateshead, was kept restrained on a chain within a hospital setting until just days before his death.The details of his final days have raised serious concerns about the treatment he received while suffering from advanced cancer.
English, who was serving a 14-month prison sentence at HMP Northumberland, passed away shortly after his release from incarceration.
His criminal history includes a range of serious offenses, notably touching himself while conversing with a schoolgirl and indecently assaulting a 14-year-old victim.
According to the report issued by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO), the prison authorities at HMP Northumberland were criticized for their handling of English’s detention, specifically for keeping him 'inappropriately' chained during his time in custody.
The prison responded by stating that the findings and recommendations from the report, which was published six months prior, had been fully addressed and implemented.
English’s criminal activities date back to the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In June 2017, he was jailed for targeting a young girl on a Sunderland bus.
The incident involved English approaching a lone girl on her way home from school, despite having been previously banned from contacting children following a 14-year-old girl’s indecent assault by him on a bus.
During this latest encounter, the court heard that the 54-year-old Gateshead resident repeatedly asked the girl for the time, attempted to engage her in conversation, and was observed touching himself while doing so.
The young girl, who was in school uniform, responded by putting on her headphones, moving away, and contacting her mother out of concern.
She expressed her fears about encountering him again on public transport.
CCTV footage confirmed English’s presence at the scene, and he was subsequently traced and arrested for breaching his sexual offences prevention order.
Judge Tim Gittins at Newcastle Crown Court sentenced him to 12 months in prison, with an extended license period of five years.
Further details emerged from a separate incident in February of the same year.
The victim, a girl heading home from school, was at the Park Lane bus station interchange in Sunderland when she noticed English nearby.
She observed that he appeared to have a pouch or a black material, resembling a pocket turned inside out, pulled through the zipper of his trousers, which was about the size of a large orange.
English again asked her the time and was seen rubbing his groin area with his hand.
Despite her attempts to avoid him by sitting at the back of the bus and putting on headphones, he continued to engage her in conversation, asking her age and about her school schedule.
The girl described feeling increasingly uncomfortable as English sat beside her with his legs wide open and appeared to be rubbing his groin.
Fearing for her safety, she moved further down the bus before English disembarked at his stop.
She promptly contacted her mother, who reported the incident to police.
CCTV footage led to English’s arrest days later.
In her victim impact statement, the girl expressed her fear of encountering him again and emphasized her desire for him to be kept away from children.
English’s criminal record is extensive, including convictions for indecent exposure in 1998, gross indecency with a child in 2004, sexual assault of a child in 2007, and multiple instances of exposure and sexual assault involving minors in subsequent years.
His previous sentence included a 12-month jail term with a five-year extended license, along with a sexual offences prevention order, which he subsequently breached.
He was recalled to prison and was not expected to be released until October 2019.
His latest conviction resulted in a 14-month prison sentence, and it was confirmed that his sex offender registration and the sexual offences prevention order would remain in effect.
The circumstances surrounding his final days, including his treatment while battling terminal cancer, have sparked debate and concern over the management of offenders with serious health issues in the prison system.
