PETER GIBSON: BOWBURN AND MIDDLESBROUGH CHILD SEX OFFENDER DIES ALONE IN HMP FRANKLAND

In a tragic and unsettling incident at HMP Frankland, a 68-year-old convicted sex offender named Peter Gibson was found to have died alone in the prison’s medical wing after suffering a severe medical episode. The inquest into his death revealed disturbing details about the circumstances leading up to his passing, raising questions about the prison’s healthcare procedures and response protocols.

Gibson, who had been serving a 13-year sentence for a series of heinous sexual offenses against children, including rape, passed away two years into his incarceration. His criminal history is extensive, with crimes dating back to the 1990s when he resided in Bowburn, County Durham. During that period, he engaged in a disturbing campaign of sexual abuse against two young girls, which later resulted in multiple convictions.

The inquest, held at County Durham Coroner’s Court, detailed how Gibson was left unattended in the medical wing of HMP Frankland after he vomited blood in the prison canteen. Despite the apparent severity of his condition, he was left waiting for several hours for an ambulance, with no healthcare staff providing him with check-ups or immediate assistance. This neglect has prompted an internal review of healthcare procedures at the facility.

G4S, the private security company responsible for managing healthcare services at the prison, has since implemented new systems to ensure that all inmates requiring medical attention are assigned a care plan upon entering the medical wing. Senior Coroner Andrew Tweddle expressed his disbelief at the handling of Gibson’s case, stating, “It stuck me as being almost unbelievable that what happened in this case happened. That Mr Gibson was left unsupervised for quite a period of time when there was clearly a medical concern from a nurse and a doctor.”

During the proceedings, a representative from G4S informed the court that the new care plan policy had been rolled out across prisons in the North East region to prevent similar incidents in the future. However, the inquest also highlighted procedural failures, notably the prison staff’s failure to use the correct radio codes when reporting Gibson’s deteriorating condition. Coroner Tweddle emphasized the importance of proper communication, stating, “It is time, in fact it is long past time, that the code systems are properly understood and followed. Prison staff may panic when they find a body or someone dying but they should use the codes.”

Further confusion was noted when medical staff initially called for an urgent ambulance to arrive within an hour for Gibson, only to make a second call for a different inmate who had suffered a severe injury. The inquest concluded that Gibson’s death was due to natural causes, with a post-mortem revealing organ failure of his stomach. The court’s findings confirmed that Gibson’s health had been in decline, and his death was attributed to natural causes rather than any immediate external factors.

Gibson’s criminal record is extensive. In 2013, he was sentenced at Durham Crown Court to 13 and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to 15 sexual offenses against two young girls, including four counts of rape. His crimes spanned decades, with earlier convictions in 1998 for the rape of a child, for which he received a six-year sentence. Gibson’s history of sexual offenses dates back to 1967, and he was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

G4S has declined to comment further on the incident, citing ongoing investigations and internal reviews. The case underscores ongoing concerns about the treatment of vulnerable inmates and the adequacy of healthcare responses within high-security prisons, especially for individuals with a long history of predatory behavior and violent offenses.