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John Rytting, Jailed Over Poppy Widdison Case, Dies at HMP Hull

The prisons ombudsman plans to release findings after an inquest.

Overview

  • Rytting, 49, died at HMP Hull on April 22, according to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, with no cause disclosed.
  • The watchdog has opened the routine death-in-custody investigation and will publish its report after the inquest.
  • He was serving a 13-year sentence imposed in 2017 at Hull Crown Court for child cruelty linked to the 2013 death of four-year-old Poppy Widdison.
  • Court reporting said Poppy had been given diazepam, heroin, methadone and ketamine for months, while a post-mortem said those drugs did not contribute to her death.
  • Poppy’s mother, Michala Pyke, also received 13 years, and the judge said Rytting played a leading role in drug supply, likening it to a large convenience store for addicts.