Rapist Victor Farrant died in London prison

• Hoskins, who killed the mother-of-three, died weeks after bidding for freedom

Violent rapist Victor Farrant, who was jailed for life for drowning a mother-of-three some 28 years ago, has died in a London prison.

According to the Prison Service, Farrant died at HMP Wakefield on Friday, aged 74, and a coroner is expected to investigate the cause of his death. HM Prison Wakefield (His Majesty’s Prison Wakefield) is a Category A men’s prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, run by Her Majesty’s Prison Service.

The prison houses around 600 of Britain’s most dangerous people (mainly sex offenders, criminals and prisoners serving life sentences). Originally built as a house of correction in 1594, the prison was nicknamed the “Monster’s Mansion” due to the large number of high-profile, high-risk sex offenders and murderers held there.

Farrant applied for compassionate release in March 2024 after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was originally jailed in 1998 for the murder of Glenda Hoskins, 44, and the attempted murder of Anne Fidler, 45, with the judge saying his crimes were “so terrible” they should not never to be released.

Ms Hoskins’ family were said to be “petrified” that her killer could escape jail regardless. However, with Farrant’s death, the victim’s children released a statement saying the news of his passing brought an end to an “excruciating two months”.

The statement by Iain, Katie and David, Mrs Hoskins’ children, said: “All of Farrant’s life sentence and the judges’ observations that he should die in prison should have been respected.

“However Farrant’s death, like his imprisonment, changes nothing for us, the circumstances and the death of our mother, Glenda Hoskins, will haunt us for the rest of our lives.

“His death, however, brings to a close a very painful chapter for all of us. We and the general public should certainly feel safer that this relapsed psychopath will not strike again.

Glenda is survived by her three children and ex-husband.

Farrant had been sentenced in November 1988 to a total of 12 years for rape and other offences. He was released on November 7, 1995, just weeks before he savagely beat Mrs Fidler at her home in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

Six weeks later, Farrant murdered accountant Mrs Hoskins at her luxury Portsmouth waterfront home by pushing her under water in the bathroom.

She left his body in the attic where it was found by her 15-year-old daughter Katie.

After killing Ms Hoskins, Farrant fled, taking his car to mainland Europe. Eventually found and arrested in the south of France, he returned to the UK to face criminal charges.

Documented as having been born in 1949/1950, Farrant was a laborer from Portsmouth, England, and his family expressed their sympathy to the families of his victims.