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Man Convicted of Child Sex Offences Dies Weeks Into 21-Year Sentence at HMP Parc

The death will be reviewed by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, with the coroner to determine the cause.

Overview

  • G4S confirmed that 74-year-old Paul Withnell died on February 5 at the category B HMP Parc in Bridgend, with formal investigations to follow.
  • Withnell had been jailed on January 16 at Cardiff Crown Court to a 21-year term, of which two-thirds was to be served in custody.
  • An eight-day trial led to convictions for four rapes of a girl under 16, six counts of gross indecency with a girl under 14, and eight counts of indecent assault of a girl under 16.
  • He admitted making indecent photos of a child after police recovered 132 nude images that the court heard he kept for decades.
  • Judge Eugene Egan said Withnell showed no remorse, and the victim’s impact statement described lasting trauma and severe disruption to her life.