A convicted sex offender who sexually abused two young girls and later committed further offences while behind bars died in prison after taking a combination of prescribed medications, an investigation has found. Emma Kent, who had a lengthy history of violent offending, died while in custody after a post-mortem examination concluded she had suffered mixed drug toxicity from prescribed medication. A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) found that the care Kent received in prison was appropriate and equivalent to the standard she would have received in the community.
Sex offences against children
Kent was jailed in 2016 after being convicted at liverpool/" title="Liverpool" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Liverpool Crown Court of three counts of sexual assault and four counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. The court heard she sexually abused two young girls, exposing herself to them and warning one of the victims to keep what had happened “our secret”. The abuse only came to light after the children disclosed what had happened to a trusted adult, who contacted police. Kent denied any sexual offending during the investigation. One victim later told the court:
“The pain won’t leave, the scars won’t fade and the memories will never vanish.”
The second child was reported to have required psychiatric treatment following the abuse. During sentencing, the judge described Kent as having shown “a theme of violence” throughout her offending and criticised her for blaming her mental health rather than accepting responsibility for her actions.
Violent criminal history
Kent was already serving a six-year prison sentence for a knife attack in which the victim believed she was going to die. While imprisoned at HMP Low Newton in County Durham, she committed further offences of arson and assault, resulting in an additional 34-month sentence before being transferred to HMP Downview in south London. She also spent periods detained at Rampton Secure Hospital before returning to the prison estate in 2021. Kent was released on licence later that year but was recalled to HMP Foston Hall in Derbyshire in April 2022 after breaching her licence conditions.
Final days
In early 2023, Kent was placed in the prison’s Care and Separation Unit after assaulting a member of staff before later being returned to the standard prison wing on 21 July. The following day she self-harmed using a razor blade and was taken to hospital. After being discharged on 23 July, she was prescribed medication before being found unresponsive during the early hours of 24 July. Prison staff and paramedics attempted CPR but she was pronounced dead a short time later. A post-mortem examination concluded she died from mixed drug toxicity involving prescribed medication.
Ombudsman findings
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman concluded that Kent’s healthcare had been managed appropriately. Ombudsman Adrian Usher described Kent as “a complex prisoner” whose episodes of self-harm were “prolific and unpredictable”, but found prison and healthcare staff had worked effectively together to manage the risks she presented. The independent clinical reviewer also concluded that Kent’s medication had been prescribed in accordance with national clinical guidelines and made no recommendations following the investigation.
Originally published by UKNIP.
