A man convicted of murdering his wife by strangling her with a washing line has passed away while in prison. Norman Heaton, who had been serving a life sentence for the killing of Jacqueline Heaton in South Shields back in May 2001, died at the age of 66 due to bronchopneumonia at HMP Full Sutton in November of the previous year.
Heaton had bound his wife to a bed, wrapped a washing line around her neck, and pulled it, claiming it was part of a sexual act gone wrong. However, a jury determined that he had deliberately strangled her with the intention of killing her. The court revealed that their marriage had been troubled, and they had been planning to separate.
Following his conviction, Heaton was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years. An inquest confirmed that his death was due to natural causes. An investigation by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman concluded that the care Heaton received while in prison was of a high standard and met the expected level of care in the community.
The report from the clinical reviewer praised the compassionate and timely care provided to Heaton during his time in the palliative care suite at Full Sutton. The collaboration between the prison and external health services was commended, with medical records showing appropriate referrals and discussions regarding advance care planning. The investigation found no major concerns regarding the non-clinical aspects of Heaton’s care and made no recommendations for improvement.
