A recommendation was made to the prison
A man was found collapsed in a supermarket car park after his prison release. Lee Chignell died aged 34 on August 12, 2025 – less than a week after being released from HMP Peterborough, according to a recent report.
Chignell had served a number of sentences in prison, most recently for the possession of offensive weapons, for which he was released on July 7, 2025. Four days later, he was recalled to Peterborough for a fixed term of 28 days for not complying with licence conditions.
During his initial health screen on July 11, Chignell tested positive for opiates. He told the healthcare nurse that he had a history of drug use and was referred to substance misuse services.
On July 14, Chignell told a recovery worker for the substance misuse team that he wanted to be released to Norwich. He declined to engage with the substance misuse service but agreed to a referral to Change Grow Live in Norwich.
The recovery worker did not share this information with Chignell’s prison offender manager (POM) or community offender manager (COM), according to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman report.
Despite Chignell declining substance misuse treatment, a recovery worker continued to see Chignell throughout his time at Peterborough. The report said there were no concerns raised.
Chignell was released from Peterborough on August 6 without accommodation. Mr Chignell had told his recovery worker that he intended to live in Norwich on release. The COM was not made aware of this and completed housing referrals for areas where she knew Chignell had connections.
She had not been able to secure any accommodation for him before his release but the ombudsman considered that the COM’s made reasonable attempts to find him accommodation.
When Chignell was released from Peterborough, he was incorrectly advised that his release probation appointment was on August 7, which he attended. The licence conditions were sent to the COM where it was discovered that the wrong licence had been issued to Chignell.
On August 12, less than a week after being released from prison, Chignell was found collapsed in a supermarket car park in Peterborough. Despite the warm temperature, Chignell was wearing several layers of clothing and was hyperthermic. Paramedics were called and Chignell was admitted to Peterborough City Hospital but died later that evening.
An inquest into his death was held on April 15, 2026. The coroner concluded that Chignell’s death was drug related.
An ombudsman investigation found the following recommendation for the prison: “The Director and Head of Healthcare should review the processes for sharing relevant pre-release information between relevant departments, and with the community offender manager, in a timely manner so that release planning is effective.”
An action planned was created in response to the report. A HMP Peterborough spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with Mr. Chignell’s family and friends. The Prisons & Probation Ombudsman has completed an investigation into the post-release death of Mr Chignell. The prison has since implemented the recommendation detailed in the action plan in full.”

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