A prisoner died from a drug-related incident the day after he was released from HMP Humber with no accommodation to go to.

Richard Cosgrove, 37, was found dead in a park in Barnsley by a member of the public on
18th April 2025.

Mr Cosgrove was sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment for the assault of an emergency services worker.

He was let out of HMP Humber as part of an early release scheme designed to cut overcrowding.

According to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, on 16th April, prior to his release, Mr Cosgrove told the Prison Offender Manager ‘that he would be homeless upon release’ and that he ‘felt like he was being left and he had no support in the community’.

On 17th April Mr Cosgrove was released under the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme and did not report any concerns.

The ombudsman said there was ‘an issue of concern relating to information sharing between the prison and probation staff during the pre-release planning stage.’

Mr Cosgrove was found with a bag full of clothing, two full-sized bottles of alcohol, and a small plastic bag with the remnants of cannabis in it.

A post-mortem report concluded that he died from multiple drug toxicity.

The ECSL scheme is no longer in place.