Barry Bennell inquest: Paedophile football coach and former Man City scout cause of death revealed

Paedophile former football coach Barry Bennell died in his prison cell while on an 'end-of-life pathway' for cancer of the tonsils, having to write things down to communicate and to be fed with a tube, an inquest heard.

The Manchester-born former Crewe Alexandra coach, who was 69, was found dead by an officer during hourly checks at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire on September 16 last year. He had been serving a 34-year sentence after being convicted of a number of child sex offences.

Bennell, a former Manchester City scout, had legally changed his name to Richard Jones, and Monday's inquest in Huntingdon was held under this name.

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Recording a conclusion of natural causes, Cambridgeshire’s area coroner Elizabeth Gray said Bennell had a history of throat cancer from 2004 and had a recurrence in 2016. She said that a biopsy in early 2023 led to a diagnosis of cancer of the tonsils and at the time of his death his care was palliative.

The coroner said Bennell was fed with a tube and his “means of communication was to write things down”. She described Bennell having a “significant amount of pain which was managed by the healthcare team at the prison”.

Ms Gray said Bennell was seen for chest pain in July 2023 and in late July his speech started deteriorating. He had discharged himself back to prison from Hinchingbrooke Hospital contrary to medical advice on September 12, four days before his death.

She said he had become confused on September 14 but declined to attend hospital. Ms Gray said Bennell had previously tried to kill himself and had been found with opiates in his possession.

She recorded his medical