'No action taken' by staff over inmate Ricardo Cotteral's alleged involvement in prison dealing
There were significant 'shortcomings' in granting a prisoner release into the community on the weekend he would later be murdered on, an investigation has found. Concerns around the prisoner allegedly engaging in an internal drug market were also 'not considered', according to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Adrian Usher.
"Between 29 and 31 March, staff submitted intelligence reports that Mr Cotteral had access to a mobile phone and was suspected of being involved in the prison's illicit drug market. However, there is no evidence that staff took any action, and the details were not recorded in Mr Cotteral's prison record," the report read.
The investigation by the watchdog has focused on the decisions taken and administrative processes surrounding Ricardo Cotteral, who was an inmate at HMP Sudbury and released on temporary licence into the community. Mr Cotteral had been released many times into the community before.
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But he was was stabbed to death by four men in the Lace Market on April 24, 2022. Mr Cotteral, who was 33, was on weekend release when he was killed in what was described in court as a 'revenge attack' from a previous violent incident between both parties. Four men were found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life in prison, with minimum terms to serve ranging from 25 to 30 years.
An investigation was launched by the watchdog into the processes followed into his release on licence in the days before he was killed, and the ombudsman report said Mr Cotteral had been sentenced to three years imprisonment for possession with intent to supply a Class A drug in 2020.
He had been incarcerated in HMP Nottingham before being moved to HMP Ranby and then HMP Sudbury the following August, where he began being granted release back into the community for short periods to work. This was despite reports from staff that Mr Cotteral was suspected of being involved in the open prison's illicit drug market.
An investigation has now found there should have been more 'robust' measures in place before granting Ricardo Cotteral release on temporary license (ROTL) and that his suspected illicit activity was not considered. The Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) scheme allows prisoners to be released into the community for short periods to work or to build family relationships.
The majority of prisoners can apply for temporary release and it is usually granted for day-long periods following a risk assessment. Staff at the prison who were responsible for Mr Cotteral's care disagreed over whether he should be granted release, before it was eventually approved by the Head of the Offender Management Unit (OMU) for paid work.
The prisoner would then regularly be released to stay at his grandmother's house, despite growing concerns over his potential involvement in the prison's drug trade. The investigation found staff should have met and discussed the potential risks of releasing Mr Cotteral into the community before granting him access.
The report says: "There was no direct information that Mr Cotteral's life was at risk in the community and, indeed, he left the prison on ROTL almost every day in April to work and for at least one other overnight stay that month. However, we do not think that the ROTL approval processes at Sudbury are sufficiently robust."
The ombudsman has consequently recommended that, going forward, urgent reviews must take place when there is evidence to suggest there is an increased risk in releasing prisoners into the community. It also recommends staff must act on and share all information that indicates any such release may not be appropriate.
It added that healthcare professionals, who supported Mr Cotteral with his autism and mental health, should have been involved in risk assessments. An inquest, held on 17 July 2024, concluded that Mr Cotteral died of unlawful killing.
The most recent inspection of HMP Sudbury in August 2023, found more than 40% of prisoners had committed offences related to drug supply, with around a third connected to organised crime gangs. "Despite having had a full-time police intelligence officer for several months, not enough had been done to reduce the supply of, and the demand for, illicit drugs," the report adds.
Mr Cotteral was the fifth prisoner to die while at HM Sudbury since April 2019. Two of the previous deaths were from natural causes and two were drug-related. There were no similarities between the findings of this investigation and those of the previous deaths investigated.
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Lucy Connolly poses no risk to anyone – let her go!
Lucy Connolly should be at home today. Snuggling up with her daughter on the sofa, reassuring the distraught 12-year-old, 'It's OK, Mummy's here now'; reclaiming her kitchen, making dinner for Ray who has stoically held the fort for 10 months but badly misses his wife's steak, egg and chips. Times are really hard for the Connollys. So why isn't the 42-year-old Northampton childminder back where she belongs after a 10-month ordeal that began back in July when she posted a horrible tweet on the night of the Southport massacre? The official explanation is that, on Thursday, after several hours of dense legal argument the Court of Appeal decided that it couldn't reach a decision that day and would instead offer a written judgment 'as soon as possible', even though the three judges had all the documentary evidence they needed to make a decision there and then. And further delay meant another weekend in prison for Lucy. 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Mother jailed over Southport post has bid to see daughter rejected
A mother jailed over last summer's riots has been refused temporary leave to spend time with her daughter and sick husband. Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for 31 months for inciting racial hatred in a tweet, has been told by prison bosses she will not be released on temporary licence (Rotl) despite being described by one prison expert as an 'ideal candidate' for such home leave. Documents seen by The Telegraph have previously suggested the 42-year-old childminder from Northampton faced being refused Rotl amid concerns over public and media interest in her case rather than any apparent failure to meet the criteria for temporary release. In her plea for Rotl, Connolly cited a deterioration in her 12-year-old daughter's school behaviour which is 'totally out of character' and the stress being placed on her sick husband, Ray, a Tory councillor, who is suffering from bone marrow failure. 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'Lucy has been entitled to Rotl since November but they have turned down every request. It's not nice to think they've got it in for Lucy but when she sees other prisoners who have done far worse crimes – like killing a child by dangerous driving – getting out, you think they're still making an example of her. 'Lucy was really calm when they told her she didn't get Rotl this time and would only be able to apply again in 12 weeks. Lucy has asked to be transferred back to Peterborough prison which is much nearer us. I hope they grant that so I can take our daughter to see her mummy once a week.' Rotl is not a straightforward legal right but is considered a privilege. Prisoners can appeal against a decision through the jail's internal complaints procedure and ultimately to the prisons and probation ombudsman. It cannot, however, be typically challenged in court but inmates can sue for alleged abuse of prison powers. Connolly was arrested after posting on X hours after the Southport killings. She spoke of mass deportations and setting fire to asylum hotels 'for all I care'. 'I feel physically sick knowing what these [Southport] families will now have to endure. If that makes me racist so be it,' she added. She took it down within four hours after thinking better of what she had written in the heat of the moment but not before it had been viewed 310,000 times and screenshot. She was interviewed by police on August 6 and charged three days later. She has been in jail since, having pleaded guilty and then been sentenced in October. Connolly has been eligible for Rotl since last November based on her prison time served. Rotl is open to inmates as a way to 'rebuild family ties' and allows for up to two overnight home stays a month. The only offenders who are excluded under prison rules include category A prisoners, many serving time for violent, terrorist and sexual crimes; those formally listed as escape risks; and suspects facing extradition. Asked to assess the process by The Telegraph last week, former prison governor Ian Acheson, who has advised the Government on extremism in jails, said: 'It can't be right that someone who is otherwise eligible is not being considered because of either the prison's failure to properly risk assess or her 'notoriety'. It would be perfectly possible for prison authorities to set conditions that precludes any media exposure. 'In my opinion and given the offence details and the background to her custodial behaviour I have seen, she ought to be an ideal candidate for early release to allow her reintegration to start. Many more risky individuals are walking free as a result of Labour's emergency mass release legislation.' Rotl is decided by the governor of HMP Drake Hall in Staffordshire where Connolly was transferred at the start of the year. Last week, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'These are discretionary schemes, and each case is rigorously scrutinised, considering the severity of the offence, the prisoner's conduct and the potential impact on victims and the community.' It is believed Connolly has qualified for an enhanced regime, a reward for good behaviour. Probation documents suggest her application for Rotl at her previous prison HMP Peterborough was delayed until a risk assessment was done. One internal note said: 'It is not necessarily going to happen due to the public interest.' Another said: 'The media interest has been raised as an issue in terms of any future ROTL applications.' She is also not automatically eligible for home detention curfew (HDC), where prisoners can be released as little as a fifth of the way through their sentences by being placed on electronic GPS tags with restrictions on the times they can leave their home. Offenders convicted of racially aggravated offences are excluded from HDC unless they can show there are exceptional circumstances to override the ban. Connolly is also seeking to appeal against her sentence, with a hearing due on May 15. Mr King, her barrister, is expected to argue the judge miscategorised her offence with a sentence wrongly based on intending to incite serious violence. This meant she received a longer sentence than she should have done. If it had been 'correctly' categorised under sentencing council guidelines, she could have been jailed for less than two years, which would have made her eligible for a suspended prison sentence. 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