A child murderer serving at least 35 years in Wakefield jail had been bullied by other inmates before he took his own life.
Stephen Beadman was jailed for the rape and murder of 15-year-old schoolgirl Kayleigh Haywood in November 2015. Kayleigh had tried to escape from a flat after being groomed online but was chased by Beadman, raped and then beaten to death, it was reported.
Beadman, 34, was found hanged in his cell at Wakefield Prison on April 7, 2021. He died in Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, the next day. A Prisons Ombudsman report into his death found that Beadman was bullied and victimised by other prisoners due to the nature of his offending. Beadman had complained that coverage of his case in the national media put him at risk from other prisoners.
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Beadman told staff that other prisoners were bullying him which resulted in three prisoners being moved to another wing. In January 2021, he said he still felt under threat from other inmates but also told staff he felt more settled and that his bullying issues had been resolved.
(Image: PA)
But in February, Beadman said he had thoughts of killing a random prisoner which he said was in response to people shouting things about him from another wing.
On March 30, Beadman reported that something had been sprayed over his stereo and television. Staff found a bottle containing an unknown substance, likely to be some form of human waste.
On April 1, he retaliated by throwing urine into two other prisoners’ cells and days after had a fight with one of those prisoners. Beadman had said he felt under threat, although there was no supporting evidence for this, the report noted.
On April 7, Beadman barricaded his cell door and cut himself. His injuries were treated.
Later that day, two officers found Beadman hanged in his cell. They tried to resuscitate him and paramedics took him to hospital where he died the following morning.
The Ombudsman noted that when Beadman was remanded to prison in November 2015, it was his first time in jail.
He had a history of substance misuse and self-harming. He was diagnosed with Mixed Personality Disorder (having traits from different personality disorders) for which he was prescribed medication.
While in Wakefield Prison, Beadman told staff that he had become scared of three other prisoners who he had cooked for in the hope they would give him protection. Beadman said he had become scared of them and had recently written an anonymous letter implicating several of them in dealing in drugs and mobile telephones. Some prisoners were moved off the wing and Beadman said he no longer felt threatened.
The Ombudsman noted that “Mr Beadman’s offence was high profile and continued to receive coverage in the national media, which he felt put him at risk from other prisoners.”
The Ombudsman’s report recommended the governor at Wakefield to assess the jail’s processes for dealing with bullying, saying: “It is of concern that over a year after first complaining of bullying, Mr Beadman was on the same wing complaining of the same problem. It is of further concern that the SO said in interview that he was unaware of the bullying problems.”
An inquest in June this year into Beadman’s death concluded that he died by suicide.
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