Prison staff missed opportunities in run-up to death of Wirral paedophile pensioner
An action plan has now been put into place at the prison.
A sex offender described as a ‘cross dressing Jehovah’s Witness’ has died while serving his sentence.
David Fuge from the Wirral, was sentenced to 17 years with an extended year on licence in 2017, for crimes against a girl.
A report from the Liverpool Echo at the time said Liverpool Crown Court heard he wore dresses and silky underwear when he repeatedly abused his blindfolded victim from the age of eight to 19 and hid his perverted acts occurred beneath the surface of a man who had the public face of a God-fearing Jehovah’s Witness.
The OAP confessed to some sexual touching with the victim and accepted hitting her on the bottom with a stick but denied the full allegations. He was found guilty of rape, three sexual assaults now categorised as rape, two counts of indecency with a child and 12 counts of indecent assault.
The pervert died of heart disease on September 12, 2024, at HMP Wymott, near Leyland, aged 76 years old. A Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) investigation into the circumstances of his death was carried out, and the results have been released this week.
According to the report, a clinical reviewer concluded that the clinical care Mr Fuge received at Wymott was ‘partially equivalent to that which he could have expected to receive in the community.’ She found that healthcare staff did not carry out a full assessment of Mr Fuge or escalate his care when he complained of chest pain the day before his death.
It states: “We recommend: The Head of Healthcare should ensure that there is a robust management plan for escalation of patients who have chest pain and that all healthcare staff are aware and trained in this process.”
Circumstances and ‘missed opportunity’
At the inquest, held from August 17 to 19, 2026, the Coroner reached a narrative conclusion, with the medical cause of death as hypertensive and ischaemic heart disease.
Mr Fuge had pre-existing medical conditions of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, known risk factors for cardiac events. He had reported feeling unwell from September 7, 2024, and on September 10, a code blue was called. The attending nurse completed physical observations and an ECG was performed. These were reported within normal range and the ambulance was stood down.
The report states: “There was a missed opportunity for assessment by an ambulance crew on 10 September. Given the circumstances, medical records could have also been checked to identify relevant past medical history and potential risk factors for a cardiac event. On 11 September, Mr Fuge was seen by a HCA due to feeling unwell and he reported a burning sensation in his chest. Physical observations were completed. There was a missed opportunity for escalation to the healthcare team or to a code blue. There was also a failure in effective handover of Mr Fuge's recent physical health presentation.”
Action
The Head of Healthcare at the prison has accepted the recommendation, and said a chest pain pathway is being developed by the primary care manager and will be shared with the healthcare team by email and discussed at safety huddles.