A Merseyside man jailed for masterminding a heroin and crack ring was found dead in prison with experts unable to explain what happened.
Stephen Kearns, 37, was found unresponsive in his bed at HMP Stocken, in the East Midlands, on the morning of October 3, 2020. He had appeared fit and well the previous night, there were no signs of assault or restraint and no drugs were found in his system.
An investigation was carried out by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO), which published a Fatal Incident Report. According to PPO Sue McAllister: "A post-mortem was unable to determine the cause of Mr Kearns' death".
