Homeless prisoner died the day after early release

Richard Cosgrove was released from HMP Humber on 17 April 2024

A prisoner died from the effects of drugs the day after he was released from prison with no accommodation to go to, a report found.

Richard Cosgrove, 37, was found dead in a park in Barnsley on 18 April 2024 after being let out of HMP Humber, in East Yorkshire, as part of an early release scheme designed to cut overcrowding.

Mr Cosgrove had been sentenced to 24 weeks for assaulting an emergency services worker. A report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman said he "left prison homeless which increased his vulnerability and the risks of harm".

His "release planning was undoubtedly rushed and negatively impacted" by the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme, the report stated.

Mr Cosgrove was initially supposed to be let out under the separate Home Detention Curfew scheme, which requires prisoners to be released to a designated address.

However, the property he was due to live at was considered unsuitable by probation staff and he was put on a waiting list for accommodation in Leeds.

In the meantime, he became eligible for release under the ECSL scheme, which meant that no short-term accommodation was provided.

Mr Cosgrove's probation officer, who was based in Leeds, was not made aware he had nowhere to live and "only discovered this by chance when looking at Mr Cosgrove's record", the report stated.

The ombudsman found "an issue of concern relating to information sharing between the prison and probation staff during the pre-release planning stage".

The report added: "Information sharing between all relevant agencies is key to release planning and the governor and head of Leeds Probation Delivery Unit may want to reflect on the learning from this case".

The ECSL scheme is no longer in place. However, the ombudsman said the prison service would "want to be aware of the issues raised by Mr Cosgrove's death".

A coroner's inquest held on 25 September 2025 concluded that Mr Cosgrove's death was drug-related.

Prison and probation staff provided him with "appropriate substance misuse support", the report found.

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