Glen Candler

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Independent investigation into
the death of Mr Glen Candler,
a prisoner at HMP Wakefield,
on 6 March 2025
A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade Email: mail@ppo.gov.uk T l 020 7633 4100
Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Web: www.ppo.gov.uk
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© Crown copyright, 2025
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visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3
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1. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman aims to make a significant contribution to
safer, fairer custody and community supervision. One of the most important ways in
which we work towards that aim is by carrying out independent investigations into
deaths, due to any cause, of prisoners, young people in detention, residents of
approved premises and detainees in immigration centres.
2. If my office is to best assist His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) in
ensuring the standard of care received by those within service remit is appropriate,
our recommendations should be focused, evidenced and viable. This is especially
the case if there is evidence of systemic failure.
3. In 2023, Mr Glen Candler was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for sexual
offences. He died of pneumonia and COVID-19 on 6 March 2025 at HMP
Wakefield. He was 67 years old. We offer our condolences to Mr Candler’s family
and friends.
4. The Ombudsman’s office wrote to Mr Candler’s next of kin to explain the
investigation and to ask if they had any matters they wanted us to consider. They
had no questions but asked for a copy of our report.
5. The PPO investigator investigated the non-clinical issues relating to Mr Candler’s
care. We did not find any non-clinical issues of concern.
6. NHS England commissioned an independent clinical reviewer to review Mr
Candler’s clinical care at HMP Wakefield.
7. The clinical reviewer concluded that apart from two specific aspects, the clinical
care Mr Candler received at Wakefield was equivalent to that which he could have
expected to receive in the community. She found that Mr Candler was not offered
the flu and COVID-19 vaccinations in autumn 2024 as he should have been. He
was in hospital around that time but should have been offered the vaccinations
once he returned to the prison. We recommend:
The Head of Healthcare should review the current vaccinations process to
ensure that if a patient is unavailable, a further appointment is offered.
8. The clinical reviewer also found that Mr Candler did not have a long-term condition
review for his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, the term for a group of
serious lung diseases), though she was satisfied this did not affect the clinical
management of his COPD. She made a recommendation about the management of
long-term conditions which the Head of Healthcare will wish to address.
9. We shared our initial report with HMPPS and the prison’s healthcare provider,
Practice Plus Group. They found no factual inaccuracies. Practice Plus Group
provided an action plan which is annexed to this report.
10. We sent a copy of our initial report to Mr Candler’s next of kin. They did not notify us
of any factual inaccuracies.
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 1
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11. The inquest, held on 21 March 2025, concluded that Mr Candler died from natural
causes.
Adrian Usher June 2025
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
2 Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
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Third Floor, 10 South Colonnade Email: mail@ppo.gov.uk T l 020 7633 4100
Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Web: www.ppo.gov.uk
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