Brian Lines, an 86-year-old convicted sex offender from Leek, West Midlands, has died in prison from natural causes due to heart failure, according to a report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman published on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Lines was serving a 30-year sentence for a series of horrific child sex offences committed in Staffordshire between 1970 and 2009.
Details of the crimes and trial
Lines was found guilty at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court in May 2024 of 16 counts of indecent assault on a girl under 16, three counts of rape of a female under 16, three counts of rape of a female over 16, and attempted rape of a female under 16. He was also convicted of four counts of sexual assault, assault of a girl under 13 by touching, and sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15.
Death and inquest
Lines died on 26 September 2025 at HMP Stafford. The Ombudsman's report stated: "On 3 May 2025, Mr Brian Lines was sentenced to 30 years in prison for rape. He died from decompensated heart failure secondary to an infection on 26 September 2025, while a prisoner at HMP Stafford." An inquest held on 11 March 2026 concluded that Lines died of natural causes.
The report noted that the clinical care Lines received was of a good standard, equivalent to that in the community. Healthcare staff managed his health needs and episodes of acute illness well. The Ombudsman offered condolences to Lines' next of kin, who did not respond to inquiries.
Police reaction
Det Con Annie Blairs of the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team said: "The sentence was only possible thanks to the sheer determination and bravery of Lines’ victims. Despite denying the offences, a jury saw through his lies and he will now spend the rest of his life in prison. The impact on the victims is significant and long lasting and I hope this sentence provides some comfort in knowing they did the right thing in reporting his heinous crimes to us."
