Prisoner died on New Year's Eve, government confirms

An inmate at a troubled jail in Nottinghamshire died on New Year's Eve, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed.

Perrie Melladay, 33, was serving a sentence at HMP Lowdham Grange.

At least 17 prisoners have died at the Category B jail since the start of 2023, with eight deaths in 2025.

The MoJ confirmed the most recent death will be investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman "as with all deaths in custody".

The prison has been run by the MoJ since December 2023 - initially on a temporary basis before it was made permanent the following year - after the government stepped in due to safety concerns.

Inquests into three of the five deaths in 2023, when the jail was run by Sodexo, concluded in February last year and found there had been "repeated failures".

Another inquest in November found "sustained failure" in the care of a fourth inmate.

A report released last year identified some improvements since the MoJ took over the institution, but pointed to ongoing issues around safety.

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