A former prisoner took his own life just days after being released from HMP Holme House. Aaron Rowley was discovered in a friend's garden and was taken to hospital.
Brain damage following cardiac arrest
A nine-page Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) report, published last month, details how tests revealed the 36-year-old had sustained brain damage following a cardiac arrest. He passed away in hospital three days after he was found.
As Mr Rowley died within 14 days of his release from the Stockton prison, an investigation was launched by the PPO. The report sets out how Mr Rowley had been remanded in custody in March 2025, charged with possessing a bladed article, assaulting an emergency worker, possession of drugs and other offences.
Release and recall
On October 2 of that year, Mr Rowley was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison. However, owing to time already served on remand, he was released on licence the same day.
Weeks later, on December 14, Mr Rowley was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and possession of cocaine. The assault charge was subsequently dropped, though Mr Rowley was charged with possessing a Class A drug, reports Teesside Live.
The following day, Mr Rowley's community offender manager (COM) applied for his recall to prison for breaching his licence conditions. While the recall was authorised the next day and police were notified, Mr Rowley was not apprehended until February 12, 2026.
Health screening and substance misuse
He was transferred to Holme House Prison in Stockton. The report states: "At his initial health screening Mr Rowley told the nurse he had a history of anxiety and depression but did not have any thoughts of suicide or self-harm."
He informed the nurse of his history of cocaine use and was referred to the substance misuse service (SMS). The report adds: "On 13 February, an SMS worker met with Mr Rowley. He told her his substance use had had a significant impact on his life, and he recognised the need for change. He expressed a desire to reduce his drug use and appeared motivated to make positive changes."
Unexpected release and death
On 16 February, at approximately 8.50pm, Mr Rowley was unexpectedly freed from custody after completing his sentence, taking into account the time he had already served on remand in 2025. He failed to attend his first two appointments with his COM owing to financial and transport difficulties but remained reachable by phone.
The COM rang him when he missed the second appointment and believed his speech sounded slurred and incoherent, though he denied being under the influence of drugs. A third appointment was scheduled for February 26 and a travel pass posted to Mr Rowley.
On February 22, however, an ambulance was called to the home of a friend where Mr Rowley had been staying, after he was discovered in the garden having harmed himself. He passed away in hospital on February 25, with the provisional medical cause of death recorded as diffuse hypoxic ischaemic brain damage, with substance misuse cited as a contributing factor.
Toxicology test results have not been confirmed in the PPO report.
A coroner, following an inquest on September 8, 2026, concluded that Mr Rowley died by suicide. The report states: "There is no evidence that Mr Rowley expressed any thoughts of suicide or self harm during his time at Holme House and no evidence that he expressed any intentions to take his own life following release."
Given the short period of time Mr Rowley spent in prison and the circumstances of his unexpected release, we found no issues with Mr Rowley's pre-release planning or post-release supervision.
