Wigan prison killer inmate's fatal condition laughed off by guard, probe finds

And the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) also found a prison officer “sniggered” on being told Shafaq Khan needed care and did nothing to seek help.

The 52-year-old, who turned out to be critically ill, was only given medical aid more than three hours later.

Former shopkeeper Khan died in hospital more than three months later from complications linked to diabetes after being found unresponsive in his cell on December 19 2022.

The PPO probe concluded there were failings in the management of Khan's illness while incarcerated.

The Ministry of Justice said the prison officer had received training and advice and was now back at work.

Khan was serving an eight-year term for manslaughter after carbon monoxide fumes from a petrol generator he was using in his Rochdale shop killed a tenant in the flat above.

The PPO investigation found Khan had been ill since contracting flu and his blood-sugar levels had been raised.

At 8.10am on December 19 another prisoner approached a guard, referred to as Officer A, and told him he "needed to call healthcare" as Khan had been asleep for 22 hours.

According to PPO investigator Adrian Usher, Officer A "sniggered" and said "Mr Khan was probably having a laugh".

The officer failed to contact the prison's healthcare team or check on the critically ill inmate.

It was not until 11.14am that another guard found Khan unresponsive. He underwent CPR but remained critically unwell in hospital.

Doctors found he had diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition caused by insulin deficiency, and severe kidney injury due to dehydration.

He also developed sepsis and other complications, and died on February 28 2023.

Mr Usher reported that Officer A was investigated by Greater Manchester Police, who concluded there was insufficient evidence for criminal charges.

The PPO investigation concluded that the healthcare Khan received in prison, delivered by Spectrum Community Health CIC, was not of the required standard.

Mr Usher found that on June 30 2022, GP services at the prison failed to share irregular blood sugar readings with nursing staff, who therefore did not monitor him effectively.

He had also been referred to the prison's long-term conditions clinic for oversight of his diabetes and high blood-pressure, but the nurse who ran it was on maternity leave.

While a clinical expert instructed by the PPO said she could not be sure closer monitoring would have saved him, she concluded there were "missed opportunities".

A spokesperson from Spectrum said the service was "fully committed" to implementing changes recommended by the report.