AN inmate died in prison from natural causes, after being jailed for a minimum of seven years for robbery, an independent report has found. Omar Farooq, 70, who was a prisoner at Chelmsford Prison, died on August 8, 2025. Farooq was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 2018 with a minimum term of seven years for robbery.
Advanced clinical frailty also contributed to his death, a report by The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman states. Mr Farooq’s family were informed but told the prisons ombudsman they had no concerns regarding the death. NHS England commissioned an independent clinical review into Mr Farooq’s clinical care at HMP Chelmsford.
The ombudsman report states: “The clinical reviewer concluded that the clinical care Mr Farooq received at Chelmsford was of a reasonable standard and was at least equivalent to what he could have expected to receive in the community.
“She found that the healthcare team provided strong oversight and support to Mr Farooq as his health needs deteriorated. The clinical reviewer made three recommendations not related to Mr Farooq’s death that the head of healthcare will wish to address.” The ombudsman did not find any non-clinical issues of concern and did not make any recommendations.
