A jewellery heist gangster died in a prison shower after refusing medical help.
Convict Paul Hogwood collapsed in the shower while serving 10 years for the plot at a shop at Fife golf town St Andrews in 2015. The career criminal travelled from London to Fife for the robbery, before later being identified as a key member of the seven-man gang.
The men were armed with weapons when they targeted the Mappin and Webb shop at the resort's Old Course Hotel, stealing two Italian scooters for getaway vehicles. Police made arrests soon after, having had intel on the gang for some time.
Officers had spotted four of the London-based gang when they were in the town a week before the planned raid, the court heard at the time. Metropolitan Police Flying Squad believed they were responsible for a series of smash-and-grab robberies in London then liaised with counterparts in Scotland. The group was monitored in a "major surveillance operation" from the moment they crossed the border.
Hogwood was serving a 10-year sentence at HMP Perth (Google Maps)The 60-year-old died at HMP Perth in January 2021 after he suffered serious complications related to diabetes. His death prompted a fatal accident inquiry, with his widow arguing that he had always been good at managing his condition and believed there were problems in getting medical appointments due to Covid restrictions.
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The probe however found that Hogwood had repeatedly refused help in the days before he died, following witness testimonies from fellow inmates, prison officers and medical staff, Daily Record reports. Hogwood was due to be released in September this year.
A post-mortem revealed he died of pneumonia and diabetic ketoacidosis, as well as chronic bronchitis. Consultant diabetologist Dr Ken Darzy, instructed by family agents, backed the findings during the inquiry, saying he had had failed to attend appointments and was at risk of chest infections because of his "poorly controlled diabetes".
Although the consultant had argued that Hogwood would have been saved if he had been identified as having diabetes complications 30 minutes before, he accepted that "nothing could have prevented the death of the deceased once he went into cardiac arrest". He added that the prisoner had "suffered a very sudden rapid decline."
Sheriff Sheaf concluded: "Neither the deceased nor the prison staff were aware that the former was seriously unwell on 15 January. In the days leading up to his death, the deceased had declined medical assistance. This was despite his condition as a diabetic and his recent admission to hospital."
"Unfortunately nobody was aware of the true state of the deceased's health and there was no obvious reason to override the deceased's wishes not to seek medical treatment given how the deceased was presenting that day, particularly in the afternoon when he seemed to be getting better."
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