A prisoner was found dead in his cell on the day he was due to be released from jail, an inquest has heard.
Nigel John Keenan, known as John, was found by prison staff at Haverigg in Millom, Cumbria [England], in the early hours of 13 March 2025.
An inquest at Workington Coroners Court, scheduled to take place over five days, is being held in front of a jury of six women and five men. Coroner Robert Cohen told jurors this was necessary because Keenan’s death had happened in custody.
He said: “It’s very important we have a completely independent and fearless investigation to ensure that nothing went wrong.”
The inquest heard Keenan, 62, was a registered sex offender and had been sentenced to five and a half years in prison in June 2022 for offences including engaging in sexual activity with a child.
Cohen told jurors they should “completely disregard any opinions about any offences he committed.”
‘Gone downhill’
The inquest heard Keenan had been stressed in the lead up to his release due to difficulties in arranging housing for him and the “abrupt” ending of his relationship with his partner.
In a note found in his cell, addressed to a governor at the prison, Keenan said his mind had been “broken for two months”.
He raised concerns over how his release had been managed, including threats to tell his partner’s ex-husband that she was in a relationship with a sex offender.
He said his health had “gone downhill” and he had recently been in a diabetic coma.
The inquest heard that, during an appointment in February to monitor his type two diabetes, Keenan told …
So, tell this jury what the man was convicted for, then tell them to ignore that when evaluating the facts of the case of his death as presented to them.
Similar to American courts where purported curative instructions unring all bells.