Prison helped pay for funeral of paedophile who died two years after he was jailed
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA prison helped pay for the funeral of a convicted paedophile who died two years after he was jailed for molesting three girls he had plied with alcohol, it has emerged.
Gerald Coppel, described as 'dangerous' by police, was jailed in March 2020 but his health deteriorated while incarcerated at Forest Bank prison Salford and he died at Salford Royal Hospital on February 4, 2022.
He was 73. Now a report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, which criticised the record-keeping of the medics who cared for him behind bars, has revealed the prison helped pay for the funeral, which took place three weeks after his death. READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community The report, which also revealed Coppel was the seventh prisoner to die at Forest Bank since February 2020, said the jail made a financial contribution to the cost of the funeral 'in line with policy'.
The prison has come under fire after an Manchester Evening News investigation revealed allegations of widespread drug use and inmates who 'run the wings', leading to calls for the government to cancel a billion pound contract it has with facilities giant Sodexo to run the jail and bring it into state control.
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