Leigh Brydges

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Independent investigation into
the death of Mr Leigh Brydges
on 25 August 2022, following
his release from HMP Humber
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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Summary
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. Since 6 September 2021, the PPO has been investigating post-release deaths that
occur within 14 days of the person’s release from prison.
3. We carry out investigations to understand what happened and identify how the
organisations whose actions we oversee can improve their work in the future.
4. Mr Leigh Brydges died from drug abuse on 25 August 2022, following his release
from HMP Humber the previous day. He was 47 years old. We offer our
condolences to those who knew him.
5. We found that Mr Brydges had not been referred to a community-based substance
misuse service before his release from prison, despite it being a condition of his
licence that he engage with them. Mr Brydges’ community offender manager
thought that the prison’s substance misuse service had referred him, but Mr
Brydges was not under the care of the substance misuse team at Humber.
Recommendations
• The Local Delivery Unit Manager of North & Northeast Lincolnshire Probation
Service should ensure that community offender managers check that necessary
referrals have been made to community-based support services prior to release.
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The Investigation Process
6. The PPO investigator obtained copies of relevant extracts from Mr Brydges’ prison
and probation records.
7. We informed HM Coroner for Lincolnshire of the investigation. He gave us the
results of the post-mortem examination. We have sent the coroner a copy of this
report.
8. The investigator wrote to Mr Brydges’ sister to explain the investigation and to ask if
she had any matters she wanted us to consider. She did not respond to our letter.
9. We shared our initial report with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). They
found no factual inaccuracies but pointed out that probation records were in the
name of Leigh Brydges, rather than Lee Bridges. The coroner confirmed that they
were using the name Leigh Brydges, so we have amended the name in this report.
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Background Information
HMP Humber
10. HMP Humber is a Category C prison in Yorkshire that holds approximately 1,000
men. Spectrum Community Health C.I.C. provides healthcare services.
Probation Service
11. The Probation Service works with all individuals subject to custodial and community
sentences. During a person’s imprisonment, they oversee their sentence plan to
assist in rehabilitation, as well as prepare reports to advise the Parole Board and
have links with local partnerships to whom, where appropriate, they refer people for
resettlement services. Post-release, the Probation Service supervises people
throughout their licence period and post-sentence supervision.
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 3
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Key Events
12. On 11 February 2022, Mr Leigh Brydges was sentenced to 18 months in prison for
possession of a weapon and sent to HMP Hull. On 9 March, he was moved to HMP
Humber.
13. Mr Brydges had a history of alcohol and substance misuse. When he arrived at
Humber, he told the reception nurse that he had not used drugs within the last three
months. Therefore, the nurse did not refer Mr Brydges to the prison’s substance
misuse services.
14. On 20 May, during a visit, a prison officer saw Mr Brydges retrieve something from
his visitor’s waistband and put it in his mouth. The officer searched Mr Brydges,
while another officer checked the CCTV. The CCTV confirmed that Mr Brydges'
visitor had passed him two small parcels. Mr Brydges had a body scan, which
revealed a package prison staff believed to be Subutex (an opioid used to treat
opioid dependency and pain), and he was escorted to the segregation unit. The
Drugs Strategy Manager was made aware, but Mr Brydges was not referred to the
Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team (DART).
Pre-release planning
15. On 8 August, Mr Brydges’ community offender manager (COM) and his prison
offender manager (POM) met Mr Brydges to discuss pre-release planning. The
COM went through his licence conditions, which included drug testing, and offered
him help in applying for benefits, which he said he did not need.
16. The same day, the COM approved Mr Brydges' proposed release address, his
partner’s address.
17. On 19 August, Mr Brydges was given a copy of his licence with the conditions of his
release. The licence instructed him to attend Grimsby Probation Office on the day of
his release, that he would be subject to drug testing and would have to engage with
a community-based drug and alcohol support service, We Are With You.
Post-release planning
18. On 24 August, Mr Brydges was released from prison and reported to Grimsby
Probation Office, where the duty officer conducted an induction appointment.
19. Mr Brydges provided his partner's number as his primary contact number until he
was able to buy a phone. The duty officer told him his next appointment would be a
home visit on 26 August.
Circumstances of Mr Brydges’ death
20. On the morning of 25 August, Mr Brydges’ partner noticed that Mr Brydges was not
breathing. She called the emergency services and began CPR. Paramedics
attended and pronounced that Mr Brydges had died.
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Post-mortem report
21. The post-mortem concluded that Mr Brydges died of drug abuse. It also listed
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (the term for a collection of serious lung
diseases) as a contributory factor.
Findings
Lack of referral to community-based substance misuse service
22. Mr Brydges’ licence had a condition to address his drug and alcohol use by
attending appointments with We Are With You, a community-based drug and
alcohol support service.
23. The COM thought that Mr Brydges was under the care of the prison’s substance
misuse team and that they had referred him to We Are With You. However, this was
not the case, so no-one referred Mr Brydges to the community-based substance
misuse service before his release. We recommend:
The Local Delivery Unit Manager of North & Northeast Lincolnshire Probation
Service should ensure that community offender managers check that
necessary referrals have been made to community-based support services
prior to release.
Susannah Eagle
Deputy Prisons and Probation Ombudsman April 2023
Inquest
The inquest, held on 1 April 2025, concluded that Mr Brydges’ death was drug related.
Prisons and Probation Ombudsman 5
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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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