THE mother of professional snooker player Mark King died of previously undetected cancer while an inmate at HMP Send, an inquest has heard.
Sandra King, 69, died at Guildford’s Royal Surrey County Hospital on May 20, five-and-a-half weeks after she collapsed in prison.
It was later found that a tumour in her stomach had spread to other parts of her body.
In October 2003, King was convicted at the Old Bailey of the murder of her cousin Jacqueline Oberline, a 68-year-old cancer sufferer, the previous February.
She spent time in Peterborough and Holloway prisons before being transferred to Send in October 2008.
Fellow prisoner Stephanie McQueeney told Tuesday’s inquest at Woking Coroner’s Court that King had been a mother figure to her during her time at HMP Send.
“She was outgoing and bubbly and always had a smile on her face,” McQueeney said.
The inquest heard that King had complained of kidney problems over Christmas and was seen by the prison health team in March after she reported having trouble sleeping.
McQueeney said King was affectionately referred to as "fag ash Lil" because she smoked a lot, but added that she then lost her desire for cigarettes.
“She stopped drinking tea as well,” she said. “She was very low.”
On April 11, mother-of-two King was sent to the prison’s healthcare centre after she started vomiting and complaining of weight loss.
She was given some medication and an appointment was made for her to see a doctor the following week but she collapsed the next day.
“That was the last I saw of her,” McQueeney said.
Pneumonia
Prison officer Lee Wenden was King’s personal officer at HMP Send.
“She was always laughing and joking,” Mr Wenden said in evidence. “Although she kept herself to herself, she always had a lot of people in her room.
“She mothered a lot of the other girls and took the slightly more vulnerable girls under her wing. She was never uncooperative or difficult.”
Mr Wenden said he had just returned from sick leave on April 10 when he learned King had been feeling ill.
After being admitted to hospital, her condition continued to deteriorate and she later contracted pneumonia.
Pathologist Dr Roger Ainsworth said a large cancerous tumour was discovered in her stomach and smaller tumours were found on her lungs.
Paul Cotton, a fatal incident investigator for the prison and probation ombudsman, said King had refused to attend a CT scan on her stomach while serving in Holloway in September 2008.
“My conclusion was that the care Mrs King received while at HMP Send was equitable to what somebody would expect in the wider community,” he said.
In a written statement, King’s common law husband, William King, who was not well enough to attend the hearing, praised the treatment she received at the Royal Surrey and HMP Send.
A jury returned a verdict of death by natural causes, as directed by coroner Richard Travers.
“In this case, there’s only one verdict that can be supported, that’s the verdict of death by natural causes,” he said.
“You have to be satisfied that the death was the result of a naturally occurring disease process running its course.”
King’s son Mark, currently 16th in the world snooker rankings, was not present at the inquest.
Sandra King, 69, died at Guildford’s Royal Surrey County Hospital on May 20, five-and-a-half weeks after she collapsed in prison.
It was later found that a tumour in her stomach had spread to other parts of her body.
In October 2003, King was convicted at the Old Bailey of the murder of her cousin Jacqueline Oberline, a 68-year-old cancer sufferer, the previous February.
She spent time in Peterborough and Holloway prisons before being transferred to Send in October 2008.
Fellow prisoner Stephanie McQueeney told Tuesday’s inquest at Woking Coroner’s Court that King had been a mother figure to her during her time at HMP Send.
“She was outgoing and bubbly and always had a smile on her face,” McQueeney said.
The inquest heard that King had complained of kidney problems over Christmas and was seen by the prison health team in March after she reported having trouble sleeping.
McQueeney said King was affectionately referred to as "fag ash Lil" because she smoked a lot, but added that she then lost her desire for cigarettes.
“She stopped drinking tea as well,” she said. “She was very low.”
On April 11, mother-of-two King was sent to the prison’s healthcare centre after she started vomiting and complaining of weight loss.
She was given some medication and an appointment was made for her to see a doctor the following week but she collapsed the next day.
“That was the last I saw of her,” McQueeney said.
Pneumonia
Prison officer Lee Wenden was King’s personal officer at HMP Send.
“She was always laughing and joking,” Mr Wenden said in evidence. “Although she kept herself to herself, she always had a lot of people in her room.
“She mothered a lot of the other girls and took the slightly more vulnerable girls under her wing. She was never uncooperative or difficult.”
Mr Wenden said he had just returned from sick leave on April 10 when he learned King had been feeling ill.
After being admitted to hospital, her condition continued to deteriorate and she later contracted pneumonia.
Pathologist Dr Roger Ainsworth said a large cancerous tumour was discovered in her stomach and smaller tumours were found on her lungs.
Paul Cotton, a fatal incident investigator for the prison and probation ombudsman, said King had refused to attend a CT scan on her stomach while serving in Holloway in September 2008.
“My conclusion was that the care Mrs King received while at HMP Send was equitable to what somebody would expect in the wider community,” he said.
In a written statement, King’s common law husband, William King, who was not well enough to attend the hearing, praised the treatment she received at the Royal Surrey and HMP Send.
A jury returned a verdict of death by natural causes, as directed by coroner Richard Travers.
“In this case, there’s only one verdict that can be supported, that’s the verdict of death by natural causes,” he said.
“You have to be satisfied that the death was the result of a naturally occurring disease process running its course.”
King’s son Mark, currently 16th in the world snooker rankings, was not present at the inquest.
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