Feltham child prisoner dies in custody but confusion surrounds his death

A teenage boy has died in custody at the Young Offenders’ Institute (YOI) Feltham, West London, on 20 April. However, there has been confusion around his death. His girlfriend described to reporters that he was “covered in bruises” after identifying his body. Yet much of the corporate media has since pulled her comments – except the Daily Mail. Feltham is widely described as the most violent jail in the UK’s woefully dysfunctional prison system.

A death at Feltham Young Offenders Institute

The Canary was tipped off on 21 April, however, Feltham staff flatly refused to speak to us. Later the same evening, the Ministry of Justice confirmed the death.

A Youth Custody Service spokesperson said:

We were saddened to hear of the death of a child from YOI Feltham, who died in hospital on Monday 20 April, and our thoughts are with their friends and family.

As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.

And now, more details of the death have emerged. On 22 April, the BBC reported:

The London Ambulance Service (LAS) said it was called to the site just after 22:00 BST on Monday to reports of an “unwell child”. The boy was treated at the scene and taken to hospital “as a priority”, where he died.

The Met Police said it was notified of the death in the early hours of Tuesday by HMP Feltham staff. A Youth Custody Service spokesperson said the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman would investigate the death.

The Daily Mail reported that Scotland Yard detectives were treating the death as “unexpected.”

On Tuesday, April 21 at 12.05am, police were notified by staff at Feltham Prison and Young Offender Institute about the death of a boy who had been found unresponsive and later died in hospital.

The London Ambulance Service were called at around 9.30pm on Monday, April 20 and treated the boy, aged 16, before taking him to hospital. He sadly died at 11.43pm.

The Mail also said that the young boy’s girlfriend, who was not named, had identified his body. They quoted her at length:

His body had been beaten to a pulp, he was covered in scuff marks and bruises.

‘We had to look at him through a glass window, we weren’t allowed to say goodbye properly.

‘We are so confused. We don’t know how he died. He did have a heart condition but it is one that is very rare to die from.

He was a child

She continued:

His mother is completely broken. She was originally told he had died in the prison but then later that it was in hospital so we just don’t know what happened.

He had been in trouble, but he was 16, a child, and should have been protected. He had his whole life ahead of him and planned to go back to college but now he can’t.

It is a complete disgrace that this happened.

Before the story was picked up by legacy media, a source familiar with the matter told the Canary on 21 April:

He had a known heart condition and the other boys are saying he was calling for help (pressing cell alarm) for 45 minutes with no response.

The source added:

All the boys are heartbroken and they have no proper psychological support in there.

According to the BBC and Mail, and as the MOJ confirmed to the Canary, a post mortem will be carried out in due course.

The MOJ also told us that in cases of this type involving a minor, names are not usually disclosed:

In terms of next steps, as with all deaths in custody the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will carry out an independent investigation. It is sometimes the case that a name may be published later, for example by the PPO on their website and in their report, or through formal processes led by the coroner.

The MOJ added:

The police and coroner will also oversee the post-mortem and any inquest, which is typically when further details may enter the public domain.

Feltham was described by HM Prisons Inspectorate in 2024 as:

the most violent prison in the country.

The report claimed that conditions at the youth jail — which houses offenders aged between 16 and 18 — had:

deteriorated significantly since its last inspection, and was characterised by rising self-harm and very high levels of violence.

No child should die in prison

Inquest is an organisation which supports bereaved families following deaths involving the state — including cases like the Grenfell Tower fire and the Hillsborough football disaster. Inquest’s director Deborah Coles told the Canary on 22 April:

No child should be dying in the care of the state, let alone a prison. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Coles described some of the shortcomings her organisation had seen:

Away from their families and support systems, locked in their cells for most of the day, with high rates of violence and self-harm, and prison guards now allowed to use PAVA spray, it is clear that imprisoning children will always be harmful and never be safe. This death is a urgent reminder of this.

Coles also said:

The government must divest money away from punishment and prisons and into community based support services to prevent further death and harm.”

The Canary will be bringing you more details as they emerge.

Featured image via the Canary