More than 1,000 OAP inmates are in jails in England and Wales, it has been found. There were 28 OAPs in their 90s, 456 in their 80s and 1,625 in their 70s in England and Wales last year. The 2,109 total aged 70+ account for one in every 40 inmates, which is more than double the 1,028 in 2014, The Sun has found.
The oldest prisoner is paedo Sidney Cooke, 99, suspected of up to 20 deaths in the 1970s and 1980s. Dubbed Britain’s most notorious paedophile, Cooke is serving a life sentence. A source told The Mirror in 2021: “Just because he is 94, does not mean he is no longer a danger to the public. You can still pose a risk regardless of age.”
In the 1970s, Cooke and a group of paedophiles – known as the Dirty Dozen gang – began hiring rent boys and taking young boys off the streets. These boys were subsequently drugged by the men, then raped in group orgies. In November 1985, a group led by Cooke each paid £5 to gang-rape 14-year-old Jason Swift.
After his body was found in a shallow grave by a dog walker, the Metropolitan Police arrested Cooke and three accomplices – Leslie Bailey, Robert Oliver and Steven Barrell.
Another one is the disgraced pop star, paedophile Gary Glitter, who is said to be “on his last legs” while locked away in a prison cell. The 82-year-old is currently behind bars at HMP Channings Wood in Devon, with sources believing that he will take his last breath there.
According to The Sun, Glitter, who was refused parole last year, is “deaf and can barely move”. A source told the publication: “Most people would struggle to recognise him now. He seems to be on his last legs, with his body giving up. And if he doesn’t get parole soon most officers and inmates think he will see out his days in jail.” They added that he often moves around in a wheelchair and “he is deeply troubled by what is going on.”
Campaigners say the ageing jail population is a major headache for prison bosses battling overcrowding, violence, staff shortages and crumbling Victorian jails.
The Ministry of Justice said: “It is absolutely right vile perpetrators of sexual abuse face the full force of the law and their victims receive justice — no matter how long ago the crime.”
The report comes after Andy Burnham blocked the early release of rapists and child sex offenders from prisons as part of the controversial early release scheme, following severe backlash from victims.
The scheme began in September 2024 and allowed eligible prisoners to be released after serving 40% of their sentence rather than half, to ease overcrowding.
As of March 2026, 70,066 people had been released under the scheme.