Man jailed over his mother's death dies in prison

David Holyoak died in custody at HMP Berwyn, the Ministry of Justice said

A man who was jailed for his role in his mother's death has died in prison.

David Alan Holyoak was sentenced in March to two years and eight months in prison for the manslaughter by gross negligence of his mother, Dorothy Morgan.

The 71-year-old from Whitehaven, Cumbria, had been found at her home severely malnourished and dehydrated, and later died in hospital in February 2021.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said Holyoak, 53, had died while in custody at HMP Berwyn in Wrexham, Wales, on 4 September.

An MoJ spokesman added: "As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate."

Holyoak had been jailed in March alongside his mother's husband, Robert Christopher Morgan, 61.

Morgan was handed a three-year prison sentence by Judge Suzanne Goddard KC after a trial at Carlisle Crown Court.

A pathologist said Mrs Morgan's death had been caused by her severely emaciated state.

In evidence, both defendants - who denied the charges - said they were following Mrs Morgan's wishes that no medical help be sought.