by: Birmingham Mail
published: 14 August 2013
A prison complaints body has slammed HMP Birmingham after a terminally-ill convict had to wait until he was ‘screaming in agony’ before being admitted to hospital. Carl Dent, of Woodcross, in Bilston, was riddled with cancer and died on July 5 last year, eight weeks after he was finally taken from the Winson Green prison to New Cross Hospital, in Wolverhampton.
The 36-year-old was serving an 11-year sentence for sex offences, including indecent assault and indecency with a child.
His family, which has continued to protest his innocence, complained to the Prisons Ombudsman Nigel Newcomen about his treatment by jail staff.
An inquest jury ruled that the former warehouse supervisor, who was jailed in November 2011, died of natural causes. Black Country coroner Robin Balmain said: “It’s very serious for someone who is terminally ill not to have appropriate pain relief.”
Dr David Ferry, consultant medical oncologist at New Cross, first treated Mr Dent for cancer of the oesophagus in March 2009 and the father-of-four later suffered a serious relapse while in prison.
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