A transgender child sex offender has died in prison due to a heart attack.

Michelle Saunders, from Gillingham, was jailed in 2007 after being convicted of attempting to groom three schoolgirls from Leicestershire and Northumberland on the internet.

At the time Saunders, who was previously known as Shaun Pudwell, denied trying to groom the girls, aged 13 and 12, at a trial at Leicester Crown Court.

She was also found guilty of nine other charges, including five counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

As well as this, she was convicted of inciting child prostitution or pornography and three counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act.

She was given an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence for sexual offences in October 2007 with a minimum term of 42 months.

In 2011, she changed her name to Michelle Saunders.

In a report published yesterday (February 21), the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has revealed Saunders died of a heart attack at HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire, aged 56, on July 9 last year.

It has offered its condolences to her family and friends.

An inquest took place on January 21, where it was concluded she died from natural causes.

The Ombudsman’s office contacted Saunders’ partner and sister to explain the investigation.

Her sister said Saunders had mentioned chest pains in a phone call to her mum and wanted to know whether she got help for this.

It was found that she had told a GP at the prison she experienced chest pain with her anxiety intermittently.

But, there were no other symptoms of a heart condition and no other reports of chest pain in the medical record.

No non-clinical issues of concern relating to Saunders’ care were found.

A clinical reviewer concluded that the clinical care she received at the prison was mainly of a good standard.

But, when she arrived at the prison on May 28 last year, she had a high blood pressure reading which was not rechecked as it should have been.

It has been recommended that the head of healthcare should make sure prisoners with a raised blood pressure reading have a follow-up arranged.