Convicted sex offender becomes first to die from coronavirus behind bars after 19 confirmed prison cases
A CONVICTED sex offender has become the first prisoner to die from deadly coronavirus, The Sun can reveal.
The man, at 84 one of the UK's oldest cons, passed away three days ago at HMP Littlehey, Cambs.
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He is understood to have been suffering underlying health issues and Covid-19 is thought only to have been detected after his death.
Littlehey, a category C jail, holds up to 480 lags - all of them male sex offenders.
Last night a source said: "There are a number of shared cells.
"It's not clear if others, including inmates and prison officers, have been affected."
The inmate, whose identity is not yet known, died as the Prison Service released official figures on how the virus has hit the prison system in England and Wales.
As of 1pm today, 19 inmates had tested positive for the virus across ten prisons.
Four prison staff have also tested positive in four jails.
And three prisoner escort workers - men and women who help with jail and court transfers - have also been infected.
But this is the first fatality.
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It comes as the coronavirus death toll today rose to 434 after 11 more people died in Wales and Scotland.
More than 8,000 people across the UK are infected by the deadly bug - with health authorities expected to release figures for England later today.
There are now fears that half of the UK population may have already contracted the virus.
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A 21-year-old woman has also been named as the UK's youngest coronavirus victim with no existing health concerns.
Chloe Middleton is believed to be the UK’s youngest victim with no existing medical issues.
Her family said it should act as a wake-up call for people to take the Covid-19 pandemic seriously.
