A convicted sex offender has died in prison just eight months into an 18-year sentence for sexual offences. Kenneth Wood, aged 73, suffered a fatal heart attack at HMP Oakwood, near Wolverhampton, on August 19 last year, passing away six days later.
Wood had been sentenced in January 2025 for his crimes. An inquest held on April 9 this year concluded that he died from natural causes. The Prisons & Probation Ombudsman (PPO) conducted a standard investigation into his death, as is routine for all prisoner fatalities.
A PPO report published on April 17 stated: "NHS England commissioned an independent clinical reviewer to review Mr Wood’s clinical care at HMP Oakwood. The clinical reviewer concluded that the clinical care Mr Wood received at Oakwood was of a good standard and was equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community."
The report added: "The clinical reviewer made two recommendations not related to Mr Wood’s death that the Head of Healthcare will wish to address. The PPO investigator investigated the non-clinical issues relating to Mr Wood’s care. We did not find any non-clinical issues of concern."
Wood’s death occurred after he experienced a medical episode in his cell. The PPO investigation found no concerns regarding the care he received, confirming that medical treatment was appropriate and comparable to community standards.
