Akiel Flemming, the man convicted of raping a university student during Freshers' Week, has died in prison. The 35-year-old was found dead at HMP Wakefield, known as ‘Monster Mansion’, on Wednesday, April 22. The Ministry of Justice confirmed the death, and the Prisons and Probations Ombudsman has launched an investigation.
Flemming, from Manchester, was 25 when he attacked three women in Halls of Residence at the University of Wolverhampton on October 1, 2016. He raped one undergraduate, sexually assaulted another, and targeted a third as she slept beside her boyfriend. He was sentenced to 16 years in June 2017 after being convicted of rape, sexual assault, and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.
HMP Wakefield holds some of the UK’s most dangerous offenders, including serial killer Robert Maudsley, who spent decades in isolation, and former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins, who died in his cell there last year. A Prison Service spokesperson stated: “As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is investigating.”
