A PENSIONER who was jailed for a catalogue of sex attacks on a seven-year-old girl has died behind bars.

An investigation into his death found he died of ‘natural causes’ at HMP Risley and that there were no ‘suspicious circumstances’.

Donald Cassidy was convicted of 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of rape in 2014.

Cassidy preyed on his young victim when she was aged seven and the majority of the incidents took place in the garage of his former home in Burtonwood.

Another incident took place in Gorsey Lane, Burtonwood, when Cassidy had taken the young victim to see horses in a field.

The abuse started back in 1974 and spanned a period of seven years.

Cassidy was handed 13 years in prison in 2014.

An inquest into his death on Wednesday at Warrington Coroners Court heard that while in prison, Cassidy, who was 86, became terminally ill and was too poorly to be moved into a hospice so was left under palliative care at the prison.

He passed away on September 17, 2021.

Heath Westerman, assistant coroner for Cheshire, concluded that the cause of Cassidy’s death was congestive cardiac failure caused by ischemic and hypersensitivity heart disease.

Mr Westerman offered his sincere condolences to any people who knew Mr Cassidy and any of his family relatives.