A paedophile who tortured, raped and starved children with his partner has been found dead in his prison cell, the Ministry of Justice have confirmed.
Andrew Hadwin, 39, was found dead at HMP Durham prison yesterday.
An investigation into his death will now take place, the MoJ has said.
Last month, on January 18, he was convicted of child neglect and rape, and was awaiting sentencing with his partner.
The pair had been remanded in custody, and were due to be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on April 28.
It was revealed that Hadwin and his partner, Cheryl Pickles, 35, tormented children by forcing them to scavenge for food in supermarket bins, and locked them up in cupboards, among many other horrific incidents.
The pair also made the children take boiling hot showers and baths.
Other abuse also shockingly included dangling one terrified child over a motorway bridge.
The couple would also cruelly order takeaways and make the children watch them eat as they stood in stress positions, it was said in court.
Medical experts also revealed that the children regularly suffered painful injuries.
In January, Hadwin, from Fishburn, County Durham, was found guilty of three counts of rape, seven counts of neglect, and one count of perverting the course of justice.
He was cleared of sexual activity with a child.
The rape relates to the non-recent abuse of another child, which happened when she was younger.
Meanwhile, Hadwin’s partner was convicted of five counts of child cruelty and one of perverting the course of justice, but was found not guilty of sexual activity with a child.
A Prison Service spokesperson confirmed to The Mirror that he died yesterday.
The spokesperson said: “HMP Durham prisoner Andrew Hadwin died on 2 February. As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”
Hadwin and Pickles were only convicted after a lengthy police investigation that began in 2018 when one of the children bravely disclosed what happened to her.
The investigation spanned four years and involved more than 150 witnesses.
During a seven-week trial at Teesside Crown Court, which ended in January, the couple denied all charges placed upon them.
At the trial, the court heard from medical experts who described how the children suffered injuries regularly – one of whom was left with life-limiting injuries as a result of the abuse.
They also heard how the pair wrote fake letters claiming to be from the children where they apologised for lying whilst making allegations of sexual assault against professionals working to support them.
These notes had actually been written in a notebook, which was found at the couple’s home.