A report has been published into the death of Ryan McArthur
Pictured is a generic exterior of HMP Hull Prison, Hedon Road, Hull(Image: Peter Harbour)
A man tragically died from a head injury after he fell from the roof of a school building just 10 days after he was released from HMP Hull. Ryan McArthur, 36, died in hospital on April 26 last year.
The Prisons and Probations Ombudsman investigates all deaths that occur in custody and within 14 days after release. In a recently published report, it said Mr McArthur died from an “accidental fall”.
Last year on Friday, April 4, Mr McArthur was arrested for shoplifting. He was sent to HMP Hull to serve a 14-day recall and was subsequently given an additional 12-week suspended sentence for shoplifting.
On Wednesday, April 16, Mr McArthur, who had a diagnosis of epilepsy, was released from custody. He was provided with one week’s worth of anti-epileptic medication.
The day of his release, Mr McArthur attended an appointment at the probation office. When Mr McArthur did not turn up for his next probation appointment on Wednesday, April 23, police informed his probation officer he had “fallen from a school building over the weekend and was in a critical condition in hospital”, the report said.
The report said: “Mr McArthur had been seen walking along the roof. He fell from the edge of the roof and sustained a serious head injury when his head struck the concrete.
“He was taken to hospital by emergency services for treatment. Police were satisfied that there was no third-party involvement.”
The post-mortem report found it unlikely that drugs were involved in Mr McArthur’s death; previous cannabis use was detected, but the active metabolite was “very low at the time of death”, it said.
Other drugs in his system, including his medication for epilepsy, were in “therapeutic ranges” and reduced the chance he would suffer a seizure. At the inquest, held on January 20, 2026, the Coroner concluded that Mr McArthur’s death was an accident.
The Ombudsman found no issues with the pre-release planning or post-release supervision of Mr McArthur and made no recommendations. It offered condolences to anybody who knew Mr McArthur.
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