03-03-2025
'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.
