A former prisoner was found dead by a cleaner in the toilets of a shopping centre.

Patrick Whiting was on licence and living at the controversial probation hostel, Fleming House, in Maidstone, at the time of his death.

The 66-year-old had spent 15 years in prison after he was handed a public protection sentence in October 2009, after he was found guilty of robbery.

At the time of the offence, Whiting had been on licence for a similar crime when he broke into pensioner Irene Richards’ home in Gillingham at night and injured her.

Maidstone Crown Court was told the career criminal had climbed through an upstairs window but hid in a cupboard under the stairs when he heard the then 86-year-old.

The jury heard he then suddenly jumped out and was chased by Mrs Richards, who lived alone, before he pushed her over, fracturing her hip.

Whiting grabbed her handbag and a bank book from the living room and fled the scene, but was arrested after police recognised him in CCTV footage.

He was then remanded to HMP Elmley, in Eastchurch, on Sheppey, in May 2009, charged with robbery, which he denied. He had admitted burglary.

The diabetic was sentenced and jailed indefinitely in October 2009 and told he would have to serve a minimum term of five years before the parole board would consider his release.

During his imprisonment, Whiting also spent time at HMP Swaleside, on Sheppey, and HMP The Mount, in Hertfordshire, before moving to HMP Rochester in October 2021.

He was eventually released on license on June 14, 2024, to live at Fleming House with curfew conditions and a GPS monitoring tag.

A report by the prison and probation ombudsman published on Thursday (May 15) confirmed the ex-offender died 43 days later on July 26 from natural causes.

It stated Whiting had been living at Fleming House to help him adjust to life outside of prison and provide drug and alcohol monitoring.

While in jail, he was said to have “frequently” used psychoactive substances, known as spice, and had a long history of drug misuse, however, no illicit substances were found in his system when he died.

The report said on July 26, Whiting had left the hostel, in Tonbridge Road, just before 8am to attend the Chatham Community Hub but did not arrive at the centre.

Instead, CCTV showed him entering a shopping centre at around 9.20am.

The report stated that when Whiting did not return to Fleming House for his 5pm curfew, staff members tried to call him several times but did not receive an answer.

As they had not heard from him by 7.30pm, a senior probation manager authorised his recall to prison and alerted the police.

At 9.50pm, a cleaner entered the toilets of the shopping centre and found Whiting unresponsive and contacted the emergency services, who declared him deceased.

The report added: “Mr Whiting was observed to have rigor mortis and blood pooling, signs that he had been dead for some time.”

It was found he had died from cardiac hypertrophy, the thickening of the left ventricle, which reduces the amount of blood supplied to the body.

Ombudsman Adrian Usher raised concerns that staff had not thought to use Whiting’s GPS tag and contact its provider to ask them to find him.

The electronic monitoring services (EMS) confirmed that data can be requested, but an external agency statement would be needed to justify why.

Accurate recording of residents’ whereabouts is critical. Inaccurate recording of their whereabouts could potentially put members of the public at risk

Mr Usher said: “In this case, it is unlikely to have made a difference to the outcome for Mr Whiting.

“However, had his last known location been established, it may have avoided a member of the public finding Mr Whiting, and in other circumstances, locating a resident more quickly might be crucial.”

He recommended the probation service work with the EMS to look at developing a protocol for probation premises to quickly find a person who fails to report for curfew.

The manager for Fleming House confirmed work was ongoing to establish a link between the EMS through an escalation route.

He also raised an issue with the curfew monitoring sheet, which showed he was present at three checks throughout the day when he was not.

Mr Usher said: “Accurate recording of residents’ whereabouts is critical. Inaccurate recording of their whereabouts could potentially put members of the public at risk.

“While there is no suggestion that Mr Whiting committed a further offence, accurate recording must be a priority for Fleming House.”

It was later discovered the curfew sheet had been dated wrong and was from the previous day.

There were also concerns about Whiting’s next of kin information, which had not been updated on his arrival at Fleming House, causing “distress” to his family, and a lack of drug testing.

Last year, hundreds of people signed a petition calling for the probation hostel to be closed following a damning BBC Panorama exposé.

The documentary highlighted safety concerns at the centre, including the alleged absconding of two convicted criminals, problems with equipment used to monitor sex offenders’ mobile phone usage, and failure to carry out regular drink and drug testing.

The failings were revealed by an investigative reporter who worked undercover at the hostel for six weeks.

Fleming House is used for the rehabilitation of high-risk offenders, such as murderers, paedophiles and rapists, who typically stay there for about three months after coming out of prison.

At the time, a probation service spokesperson said: “Several of the claims in this documentary are extremely difficult to verify, and our records show that room searches and substance misuse testing were carried out routinely and in line with national guidance.

“But we understand the concerns of the local community, which is why, as part of ongoing investigations into the issues raised, we have arranged to meet local safety groups.”

It is not the first time concerns have been raised about the hostel.

In 2021, Fleming House resident Lance Colston attacked and killed Jason Orwin while a serial sex offender, who was staying there, was jailed for trying to groom a 13-year-old girl.

The previous year, sex offender Christopher Hatcher was living at the hostel when he attacked a teenage girl after following her home from the pub.