Barry rapist died after prison healthcare failings

A rapist from Barry died after multiple failures by prison healthcare staff, an investigation has found.

John Warry, 73, of Well Walk, was serving a 12-year sentence at HMP Stafford for the horrific sexual abuse of a toddler when he died in September 2022.

Warry had been handed a 12-year sentence in 2017 after a jury at Cardiff Crown Court found him guilty of five counts of raping a child. The sentence was originally nine years in prison with an extra year on licence, but was increased to 12 years after the then-Solicitor General Robert Buckland KC argued it was “unduly lenient” at the Court of Appeal.

The court heard disturbing details of the offences, including that Warry gave a toddler a “high-five” after sexually abusing her.

Warry maintained his innocence and claimed to have been “astonished” when the victim came forward, but the jury saw through his attempts to characterise her as “a storyteller”.

His death was caused by severe heart failure and a heart attack. A prisons ombudsman report has now identified serious failings in his care.

Prisons ombudsman Adrian Usher wrote: “There were several significant deficiencies in the management of Mr Warry’s cardiovascular risk and his clinical management when he reported chest pains on the day of his death.”

He added: “Mr Warry had been assessed by the pharmacist at Stafford as at a higher risk of a heart attack or stroke, but this was not followed up by the GP or healthcare staff. The GP later withdrew Mr Warry’s statin medication, but the rationale for his decision was not informed by appropriate tests, or fully documented.”

Mr Usher continued: “I am concerned that Mr Warry’s request for a medical appointment, five days before he died, was not prioritised, despite concerning symptoms. On the morning of his death, healthcare staff did not follow the expected procedures for managing and escalating recent-onset chest pain and the clinical reviewer found examples of poor clinical record keeping.”

The report also criticised the prison governor for posting “incorrect information about Mr Warry’s death on social media, as well as a presumption about the nature of the death”.

Mr Usher stated: “Although HM Prison and Probation Service provides training on the use of social media, we consider that staff should be reminded about the need to comply with the civil service code.”

The ombudsman made a range of recommendations to prevent similar failings in future.