Ex-cop who raped and abused ladies lifeless after collapsing in Strangeways jail cell
James Glendenning, 93, died in hospital after being found collapsed in his Strangeways cell on October 29, 2023. The former police officer was jailed for 23 years in 2018 for rape and other offences against two girls
James Glendenning, who was on trial for historic sex offences five years ago, died are falling ill behind bars(Image: MEN)
A convicted sexual predator who abused girls while serving as a police officer in the 1970s fell ill behind bars with vascular dementia and collapsed in his cell after suffering a brain haemorrhage before dying, an inquest was told.
James Glendenning, from Reddish in Stockport, was 88 years old and already in poor health when he was imprisoned in November 2018 for a series of horrific offences against girls during his time as a constable. A judge branded his crimes as ‘utterly depraved and utterly wicked’.
He was discovered collapsed in his cell at HMP Manchester, commonly known as Strangeways prison, on the morning of Sunday October 29, 2023.
A judge branded his crimes as ‘utterly depraved and utterly wicked’(Image: MEN)
An inquest into his death in Manchester was told he had a medical history of heart disease and had been fitted with a pacemaker. He had also received a diagnosis of vascular dementia, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Initially, prison staff believed he had tumbled from his bed. He was rushed to Salford Royal Hospital but passed away later that same day. He was 93.
Dr Daniel Du Plessis, a specialist neuropathologist, carried out a post-mortem examination and determined Glendenning died from a spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage triggered by amyloid-related cerebral amyloid angiopathy, which is associated with vascular dementia.
He was discovered collapsed in his cell at HMP Manchester, commonly known as Strangeways prison(Image: MEN Media)
The inmate had experienced ‘cognitive impairment’ as a result of his vascular dementia, the inquest heard. Dr Du Plessis stated the haemorrhage could have resulted from a fall, though it was more probable he experienced a spontaneous bleed due to his medical condition which triggered a fall.
Detective Sergeant Kirsty Roe carried out a ‘special procedure investigation’ into the death for GMP and determined there were no suspicious circumstances.
Coroner Andrew Bridgman recorded a ‘natural causes’ death, finding that Glendenning had sustained a ‘non-survivable bleed on the brain which was likely spontaneous in origin’.
He offered his condolences to the family, though none were present in court for the ‘documentary’ inquest where no live witnesses were called and only statements were referenced.
During his 2018 trial, Glendenning had pleaded not guilty to one charge of rape; 10 counts of indecent assault; and four counts of indecency with a child.
Glendenning, who had served with the Royal Artillery before a 17-year career with West Midlands Police, was found guilty on all counts following a trial and sentenced to 23 years behind bars. Judge David Stockdale KC, then the Recorder of Manchester, condemned Glendenning’s ‘utterly depraved and utterly wicked’ abuse after hearing appalling details of the crimes he perpetrated against two girls.
Jurors were told one of his victims had been threatened with the cane if they told anyone about the abuse. One girl had cried out in agony and pleaded with Glendenning to cease, the court heard.
Judge Stockdale addressed Glendenning: “You committed grave offences of sexual assault… at a time when they were young girls. Your offences were utterly depraved and utterly wicked.”
The judge stated that Glendenning ‘betrayed’ the girls’ trust, labelling his crimes as ‘utterly degrading’. “The girls submitted to you because they had no choice,” he continued. “You now bring disgrace to your former profession as a serving police officer. It’s difficult to imagine a more gross betrayal of trust placed in you by innocent young girls.”
The court was informed that one of the victims approached the police in the 1980s but ‘her account was not believed’. An investigation was subsequently ‘relaunched’ following another complaint in 2015.
Judge Stockdale added: “You lied to the police in the mid 1980s. You lied to the police in interview in 2015 and 2016. You lied to the jury over several days in the witness box. Your lies have now been exposed and the accounts of the two complainants dismissed by you as fabrication have been roundly accepted by the jury by their verdicts.”
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