Drug trafficker died in ambulance after prison gate failed to open

Paramedics were attempting to get Guy Paget to hospital on March 16 in 2021, when the gate at HM Prison Leeds malfunctioned.

They were called to the prison at 1.23pm after the 73-year-old convicted drug trafficker, who had cancer of the oesophagus, fell ill with suspected urinary sepsis.

In a report, the Prisons & Probation Ombudsman said there were “no ambulances immediately available” so the paramedics arrived in his cell at around 2pm.

The report said: “As the ambulance was about to leave the prison grounds, the main prison gate failed to open and the ambulance could not leave the prison.

“Mr Paget’s health started to deteriorate and there was some discussion between paramedics and prison staff as to whether Mr Paget should be taken to hospital.

“Mr Paget then had a cardiac arrest and died in the ambulance at 3.06pm while it was parked in the prison grounds.”

It added: “There was confusion about whether a gate pass was needed for the ambulance to leave the prison.

“The main prison gate malfunctioned when the ambulance attempted to leave the prison grounds to take Mr Paget to hospital.

“These issues caused a delay in the ambulance leaving the prison. Although the delay does not appear to have affected the outcome for Mr Paget, it could make a critical difference in other medical emergencies.

"Mr Paget was the 24th prisoner to die at Leeds since March 2019. Of the previous deaths, 14 were from natural causes eight were self-inflicted and one was drug related."

The Prisons & Probation Ombudsman has asked the prison governor to ensure the gate is in good working order and said staff who are involved in emergency escorts should be aware of what paperwork is required for an ambulance to leave the prison,

Mr Paget had been living at the prison since October 2017, when he was jailed for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

He was arrested after a car loaded with heroin and cocaine - that had an estimated street value of £2.2m - was seized by police in Doncaster in 2015.

Speaking after the trial, Mick Maloney from the National Crime Agency, said: “Guy Paget is a career criminal, who has previously served two prison sentences for drug trafficking offences.

“He was involved in the importation and distribution of millions of pounds worth of class A drugs and we are determined to do everything within our power to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups operating in the UK”.