Ged Corbett, 28, died of a heroin overdose on August 19, 2023 – three days after he was released from HMP Thameside in London, according to a report by the prison ombudsman.
He applied to be housed in York following his release from the prison.
Pauline Stuchfield, director of housing and communities at City of York Council, told The Press that Mr Corbett was due to be assessed and offered a “suitable, emergency bed” on the day of his release (August 16, 2023) “taking into account his risk status”.
But, she said, he did not attend the appointment, so the offer of accommodation could not be made.
“This is a tragic, sudden death and I offer condolences to those who knew Mr Corbett,” Ms Stuchfield said, adding: “As is our duty and as the public would expect, our team did the right thing and prepared to carry out a full homeless assessment with the released prisoner and with the support of the probation service.”
The report states that Mr Corbett was first sentenced to a community order for sexual offences and placed on the sexual offenders’ register in August 2022.
In February 2023 he was convicted of assault and sentenced to 34 weeks in HMP Hull.
Mr Corbett was sentenced to 26 weeks in HMP Thameside for failing to comply with the requirements of the sexual offences order a week after his release in April 2023.
He was already on a methadone detoxification programme when he arrived at the prison to treat his heroin withdrawal, the ombudsman’s report says.
He was seen by the prison substance misuse service which “saw him regularly and warned him of the risks associated with drug taking”, it adds, explaining that Mr Corbett was under their care until he was released.
The ombudsman’s report says Mr Corbett was “appropriately prepared for his release” but notes that the “local authority may want to be aware of the issues raised”.
Mr Corbett told his community offender manager (COM) that he wanted to be released to Woolwich where he had family support and job opportunities.
But, the report says, a staff member found he had outstanding allegations of domestic abuse against him in the area, so it was deemed unsuitable for him to return there.
Housing officer at council was assigned on day of release, says report
A referral was sent to a premises in York where Mr Corbett had previously lived, but there was no space for him on the dates requested.
A request for temporary accommodation was made two days before the prisoner’s release to City of York Council.
He was assigned a housing officer at the council on the day of his release but did not attend the initial appointment, the report states.
Mr Corbett was found dead in London on August 19, 2023. A post-mortem concluded that he died of acute respiratory depression and coma due to heroin toxicity.
An inquest in January this year concluded his death was drug related.
A spokesperson for Serco, which operates HMP Thameside, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We were saddened to learn of the death of Mr Corbett, who we supported during his time at HMP Thameside. Our thoughts are with his family and those who knew him.”
