Elderly Leeds paedophile given 'compassionate care' before his death in prison
An elderly paedophile who died behind bars was given “compassionate care” by prison staff, a report has recorded.
Denis Coe was jailed in 2023 for the systematic abuse of a young girl over a year-long period, targeting her “every chance he had”.
The 75-year-old died in hospital in March of this year, while serving at HMP Moorland, near Doncaster.
In an Prisons & Probation Ombudsman report published recently, it was reported that he died from a chest infection having had recent surgery for lung cancer.
The independent reviewer, which looks at deaths in custody, concluded: “The clinical care Mr Coe received at Moorland was of a good standard and equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community.”
Coe was sentenced to seven years’ jail in October 2023. He was found guilty after a trial of multiple counts of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault and paying for the sexual services of a child.
The young girl was forced to touch his penis repeatedly, asked to perform oral sex on him and he asked her to take photos of her genitals. He also “took steps” to prevent her from reporting his vile abuse.
The victim had been forced to undergo 15 years of therapy.
Coe, formerly of Winrose Hill, Belle Isle, had previous convictions that “showed he has a long-standing sexual interest in young girls to satisfy his own needs”.