Prisoner's death after assault 'not murder'

The death of a prisoner a day after he was assaulted is no longer being treated as murder, police said.

Kevin Golby, 49, was found dead in his cell at HMP Five Wells, near Wellingborough, in December.

Northamptonshire Police said he had been assaulted the previous day.

A 20-year-old serving prisoner who had been arrested in connection with the investigation is no longer being questioned about the death.

Golby, from Banbury in Oxfordshire, had been jailed for 18 months in August 2023 for assaulting his own father and an emergency worker.

The police were called to HMP Five Wells on the morning of 10 December 2024 after he was found dead.

They launched a murder investigation, as Golby had been assaulted on the previous day, and detained a 20-year-old serving prisoner on suspicion of murder.

A forensic post-mortem examination could not determine a provisional cause of death.

Northamptonshire Police said they had been working closely with the East Midlands Special Operations Unit to establish "the full circumstances" of Golby's death.

Det Ch Insp Johnny Campbell, who led the investigation, said: "In Mr Golby's case, I can confirm the evidence we have examined did not support his death as a homicide which has now been further confirmed by the final forensic post-mortem report.

"Our decision has been explained to Mr Golby's family, and a file has been handed over to the coroner's office."

HMP Five Wells, run by the security firm G4S, opened in 2022 and houses about 1,700 male Category C prisoners.

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