A man who stabbed a pub landlord before setting fire to the establishment died in a prison blaze after the fire alarm reportedly failed to sound, a damning report has revealed. Benjamin Fitzsimmons, 47, went on a violent spree during May and June 2023, slashing a singing pensioner across the face, headbutting and kicking a woman at a health centre, and then stabbing the landlord of the Lobster pub in Croxteth in the back.
Threats and Arson
Fitzsimmons' allies threatened the pub owner and staff that if they cooperated with a Merseyside Police investigation, the building would be burnt down. Fitzsimmons pleaded guilty to the offences and was jailed in October 2023. Days after his sentencing, masked arsonists torched the pub, and intimidation continued with the landlord's gated home being sprayed with bullets by two thugs on motorbikes.
The ECHO reported in October last year that Fitzsimmons had died in a prison fire at HMP Garth in Leyland, Lancashire. His death was initially treated as unexplained, prompting an investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO).
IMB Report Highlights
A report published by Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) raised concerns about adult prisons, young offender institutions, and immigration detentions across the country. The report, signed by Jane Leech MBE, interim national chair of the IMB, stated: "At Garth, one prisoner tragically died in a cell fire after the alarm apparently failed to sound. False fire alarms were also common at several prisons. Although fire safety remedial work continued to be prioritised, Boards noted that this could be extremely disruptive."
The report also noted that an inquest into Fitzsimmons' death has yet to be held.
Police Statement
A Lancashire Constabulary spokesperson told the ECHO in October: "We were called by the North West Ambulance Service at 8.24pm on 24th September to HMP Garth, Ulnes Walton Lane, Leyland, to a report that a man had been found unresponsive. The emergency services attended and very sadly a 47-year-old man was pronounced deceased at the scene. Our thoughts are with his family at this distressing time. The death is currently being treated as unexplained and our enquiries are continuing."
Fitzsimmons' Criminal Record
Fitzsimmons' criminal record dated back to 1991 and included dozens of convictions for more than 100 offences, including rape and robbery. At the time of the Lobster pub offences, he was subject to two suspended prison sentences—one for possession of a bladed article in a public place and racially aggravated harassment, and another for a public order matter.
In court in October 2023, he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault causing grievous bodily harm, assault causing actual bodily harm, possession of a blade, and affray. His lawyer told Liverpool Crown Court that Fitzsimmons had shown "genuine remorse" and had been an "exemplary prisoner" while on remand. However, Judge Garrett Byrne deemed Fitzsimmons a dangerous offender and handed him an extended 11-year prison sentence.
Judge's Remarks
Sentencing, Judge Byrne said: "On May 31 you attacked Ronald Morris with a knife. He was 67-years-old at the time and he was walking home at 11.30pm after being out drinking, and he was singing. He was unlucky enough to walk past your house and you saw him, you armed yourself with a knife and viciously attacked him, cutting him to the face and then cutting him to the head. Photographs of the injuries show the extent of the harm caused and they are shocking.
"On June 21, a matter of three weeks later, you attacked Olivia Rogers. You head butted her to the face and kicked her. She suffered swelling to her left eye. You then went to a venue from which you have been barred. You made verbal threats to stab people, you grabbed a customer by the throat and threatened him with a knife. Peter Lanes approached you and you threatened to burn down his pub. You lashed out and struck him in the face. You pulled out a knife and stabbed him to the top of his back, causing a five-inch slash mark."
Prison Conditions at HMP Garth
HMP Garth was criticised by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons in a report published last August. Inspectors found the prison had become "noticeably less safe" and several wings were "feeling chaotic", with the ingress of drugs creating an illicit economy where debts were enforced through violence.
