Paedophile who tortured, raped and starved children with partner found dead in ... trends now
A man found guilty of an horrific catalogue of abuse against children has been found dead in his prison cell while he awaited sentence.
Andrew Hadwin, 39, was found dead at HMP Durham prison yesterday, February 2.
Hadwin and his partner Cheryl Pickles tormented children over several years - starving them, feeding them soap and pushing them into boiling hot showers and baths.
The couple malnourished the children until they were so hungry that they walked for miles to scavenge through supermarket bins for food. Meanwhile the pair would order takeaways and make the children watch them eat while forced to stand in stress positions for long periods of time.
Other abuse included locking the youngsters in a cupboard and dangling one terrified child over a motorway bridge.
The Department of Justice confirmed Hadwin had died, telling MailOnline an investigation was underway.
Hadwin was convicted of three counts of rape, seven counts of neglect, and one count of perverting the course of justice. He was found not guilty of one count of sexual activity with a child
Cheryl Pickles, 35, and Andrew Hadwin, 39, of Fishburn, County Durham, tormented children by starving them, feeding them soap and pushing them into boiling hot showers
A Department of Justice spokesman said: 'HMP Durham prisoner Andrew Hadwin died on 2 February.
'As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.'
Neighbours had described the couple as 'creepy and furtive' and said they would stop their children from playing outside when they saw them, adding they used to hear 'all sorts of strange noises coming from their home'.
Both Hadwin and Pickles had been remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing scheduled for April 28.
The pair were charged with multiple offences of child neglect and sexual activity with a child, and one count of perverting the course of justice.
Hadwin was also charged with three counts of rape in relation to historic abuse of another child which happened when she was a little girl.
On January 18 he was found guilty of three counts of rape, seven counts of neglect, and one count of perverting the course of justice.
He was found not guilty of sexual activity with a child.
Hadwin and Pickles, of Fishburn, County Durham, were convicted of a prolonged campaign of child abuse by a jury at Teesside Crown Court after a lengthy trial.
During the proceedings, jurors heard of the horrific abuse committed by the pair, including dangling one terrified child over a motorway bridge.
Hadwin and Pickles abused one child so badly they suffered life-limiting injuries, and regularly starved children or forced them into scaldingly-hot showers and baths.
During the trial, the court heard from medical experts who described how the children regularly suffered painful injuries.
They also heard how the pair wrote letters, which were given to police, claiming to be from the children in which they apologised for lying and were sorry, and made false allegations of sexual assault by professionals supporting them.
However, a handwriting expert confirmed the writing was not that of a child, and found the letters had actually been written in a notebook found at the couple's home.
The campaign of abuse only stopped when one of the children bravely plucked up the courage to tell a trusted adult what was happening.
On social media, where Hadwin has at least six different accounts, the couple acted as a happy family. Pickles was active on her social media accounts as recently as January 7, with recent posts wishing her friends a happy new year.
After three days of deliberations, the jury found Hadwin guilty of three counts of rape, seven counts of neglect, and one count of perverting the course of justice. He was found not guilty of sexual activity with a child.
Pickles was found guilty of five counts of child cruelty and one of perverting the course of justice. She was found not guilty of sexual activity with a child.
Prior to conviction, local residents of Fishburn were aware of the rape charges and mothers would bring their children in from playing in their front gardens while he sat smoking out of a bedroom window.
A neighbour said: 'He was known to be a sex offender which was disturbing to all the families with young children around here.
The couple's home in Fishburn, County Durham
'They must have lived here for five years but there were never any children at the house as far as anyone knew.
'The details of the case are horrifying and to think that pair had access to kids is frightening.
'They were creepy and furtive, they'd scuttle to and from their car in the morning, leave for the day and then come back at night, no one knew where they went.
'There would be all sorts of strange noises coming from their home and they'd have a steady
