Jimmy Prout death: Murdered man let down by authorities, brother says

Jimmy Prout, 45, suffered months of torture before he was murdered by a group he considered friends

A man who was tortured and murdered by people he considered friends could have been saved if authorities had picked up warning signs, his brother says.

Jimmy Prout, 45, was abused, killed and then dumped on wasteland near his North Shields home in 2016.

His brother Eddie Prout said a draft report showed Mr Prout was "let down" by agencies including the NHS and police, who could have intervened.

The BBC has not seen the review, which is due to be published in September.

Eddie Prout has previously criticised the length of time the domestic homicide review by North Tyneside Council was taking and claimed his brother's murder had been "brushed under the carpet".

He has now seen the draft version, which will need to be approved by the Home Office before being published.

He said: "He was let down by a lot of people, by basically everybody that should have been there to help him.

"Jimmy could have been here today, Jimmy would have been here today."

Eddie Prout has read a draft version of the review into his brother's death

He cited one example from the report of his brother going to North Tyneside General Hospital three times in two weeks with different injuries but "nobody picked up on it".

The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust has been approached for comment.

Four people were jailed in 2017 over Mr Prout's death.

Zahid Zaman and Ann Corbett, above, were found guilty of murder. Myra Wood, left and Kay Rayworth, below, were convicted of allowing Mr Prout's death

Their trial at Newcastle Crown Court heard he suffered "Dark Ages" abuse, including having his teeth knocked out with a hammer and being forced to eat one of his own testicles.

Jacqui Old from the North Tyneside Community Safety Partnership said the report had taken so long to prepare because it was a "complex incident involving a number of perpetrators and agencies".

She said Mr Prout's family were allowed to see the draft so they could have the "opportunity to contribute and explain specific details they would like clarity on".

Ms Old said: "We offer our deepest condolences to the family of Jimmy Prout.

"We appreciate that they have had questions they'd like answering and we know it's been a difficult wait for them."